


What's Left to Protect

by Sushimom



Series: What's Left Behind [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2018-11-30 06:09:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11457603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sushimom/pseuds/Sushimom
Summary: Bren's screams turned to sobs as he woke. It broke Angela's heart every time this happened. She sat up, leaning against the wall and pulled him into her lap, running a soothing hand over his head and telling him he was safe and okay.This is the sequel to What's Left Behind. I completely rewrote the first chapter. The first time I wrote it, it was clunky and wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

The screams of her son brought Angela out of her slumber with a jolt, immediately throwing off her covers and running to his room.

Bren was thrashing around in his bed, screaming at the top of his lungs. Angela dove into the bed beside him trying to hold him too her. Even though he was only six, because of the super soldier serum he was extremely strong for his age. He kicked and screamed while Angela tried to gently rouse him out of his nightmare.

“Bren! Bren, meine leibe!” She said into his ear, his screams starting to abate slightly, “You're okay baby, mommy's here. I've got you. You're safe.”

Bren's screams turned to sobs as he woke. It broke Angela's heart every time this happened. She sat up, leaning against the wall and pulled him into her lap, running a soothing hand over his head and telling him he was safe and okay.

The nightmares had started after Peru. They had moved so many times in his short life, each time driven from their temporary home by Talon. He was born in Stuttgart. From Stuttgart they moved to Seattle. From Seattle to Menorca. From Menorca to Peru. From Peru to Namibia. And three months ago they had been found in Namibia and fled here, to Watchpoint Basrah in Iraq.

The attack in Peru had been particularly bad. Bren had been struck by several pieces of shrapnel from a grenade as he and his mother had been running to the secure bunker. They had been out shopping at the time of the attack. Now he suffered from PTSD. He had nightmares at least once a week and was always terrified whenever they had to go out.

He was generally okay when he was playing in the Watchpoint, the happy child she loved so much. Torbjorn had tried to help. Showing up one day while they were in Luderitz, Namibia with a friendly but quirky Bastion E-34 he'd picked up a couple of years before. Bren quickly became friends with the Omnic, often reading to him from whatever book he had that day. Bastion seemed to love the boy as well, often playing games with him.

Angela had been trying for just over a year now to help him work through the trauma. He had been doing well until Talon attacked them in Namibia and they fled here. Then the nightmares got bad. 

Angela looked down at her son. He'd cried himself to sleep again, tears drying on his cheeks. She scooted to the edge of the bed, picking up her son and carrying him out of his room. Bastion was in the hall, whirring and beeping worriedly.

“He'll be ok, Bastion. He just had another nightmare. I'm going to take him to my bed.” She told him, trying to ease his worries.

She pushed open the door to her room in the Watchpoint, laying Bren down in her rather empty bed. Jack was off working at the moment, unable to sit by as people suffered. This time he was off in Dorado. The Los Muertos gang had taken over part of the city, running the police out of the area. They were running drugs and weapons through the city with impunity. Jack had left for the Mexican city four days ago, already showing up in the news with stories of gang members being found tied up and left for the authorities. He had called them two days ago to check in, but he didn't have much time to talk while he was on a mission.

So Angela snuggled her son close to her. It helped him to sleep after a nightmare to not be alone. Usually he snuggled down in between his parents but tonight his mother would have to do.

She made a mental note to log this latest nightmare into his medical journal before closing her eyes to try and get some sleep before morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Angela listened to her son reading to Bastion and Ganymede, this time from Through the Looking Glass. The omnic seemed enthralled with the story, paying rapt attention to the boy.

She turned back to her laptop, scouring Mexican news outlets for news of Jack but found nothing new. She hoped he'd call today to let her know he was ok. It killed her that she couldn't be there, watching his back and making sure he didn't die on her for real this time, but she had to stay here. Angela gave up searching and opened up Bren's medical files. She'd been able to glean some information from Jack's redacted military records as to what the American Super Soldier project had entailed. 

From what she understood they had done a gene therapy with the chosen men, causing their DNA replicates to alter the DNA during mitosis, soon all of the cells in their body were made with this enhanced DNA. But it had been different with Bren. It had started at the first cell division, changing his DNA into something better. It explained why Bren had almost two thirds of Jack's DNA, something that should have been impossible. 

Angela sighed, leaning back in her chair. Now all she needed was a lab to test her hypothesis.

She stood from the table, deciding it was time for some lunch. She knew she had to go to market today, but she was putting it off because of how much it upset Bren. He was too scared to go out with so many people when he felt he may be attacked at any time, but he also didn't want his mother to leave him.

She decided on one of his favorites. Graham crackers with peanut butter and diced dates on top. He had fallen in love with dates when they had moved here to Iraq. The dates here were so fresh and delicious, strait from the trees. It was a quick meal, only taking a few minutes to prepare.

“Bren, it's time for lunch, meine leibe.” She called to him.

“One minute mom! I'm almost done with this chapter.” He called back, immediately diving back into the book.

Angela smiled. She went to her room, grabbing her head scarf and sunglasses, adjusting it in the mirror so it covered her platinum blond locks, effectively disguising her. She picked up her large shoulder bag from the door and pulled out her lower back holster, slipping it around her waist and securely strapping her pistol into it. Slinging the bag over her shoulder she walked back out, Bren now devouring his lunch.

“Mommy has to go to the market, love.” She said gently, hoping he didn't take it as badly as he had in the past.

Bren jumped out of his seat, sprinting to his mother, grabbing her round the middle as hard as he could. Angela ran her hand over his hair, slipping a finger under his chin to make him look at her.

“We're out of milk and bread, meine leibe, and we need vegetables.” She explained to him, “Bastion will be here with you. He'll keep you safe. I'll even stop by the book vendor and see if he's been able to get ahold of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for you.”

Bren looked at her sadly but loosened his grip. She knelt down in front of him, giving him a big hug and a kiss, “I'll be back before you know it.”

Bren nodded, walking back to the table to finish his food. Angela smiled at him before heading for the stairs up and out of the bunker.

It was summer in Iraq, and the oppressive heat hit her as soon as she opened the bunker door. The mile long walk felt like five in the 47 degree heat, but she eventually arrived at the market.

This was one of the things she loved about Basrah. The market was a vibrant, bustling place crammed with market stalls and vendors shouting out their goods. The produce and meats were as fresh as you could get and you could find anything you could imagine if you took the time to wander the entire market. Angela particularly loved the fabrics. They had the most gorgeous silk brocades and cotton weaves. It made her wish she knew how to sew. 

She went on to the produce, picking up what she needed before heading off to the butchers stall. She grabbed a leg of lamb, fresh this morning and a couple of bottles of milk from the butchers wife. Her bag was weighing on her heavily in the heat so she hurried over to the book vendor. 

“Ah miss. You're back!” He greeted her warmly.

“Hello Rahaj. Have you happened to get The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in?” She asked.

“You're going to love me miss.” He said, always having to flirt with her a bit when she came by, “I managed to get my hands on the whole series.”

Angela gave him a blinding smile, “That's fantastic! Thank you so much.” She said.

She paid him for the books, thanking him again before she left the market to hurry home, knowing Bren fretted while she was gone.

Angela pulled out her phone, calling Jack while she walked in the desert heat.

“Hey Angel.” He answered, sounding tired.

“Did I wake you?” She asked worriedly.

“No I just got back in. We had quite the battle.” He told her, “They were gun running and I wanted to stop them mid way and get the munitions out of their hands. Well apparently one of them had just stolen a money pouch from a girl and she was chasing after them when the fighting started.”

Angela gasped.

“One of them threw a grenade. I took some shrapnel and they got away but the girl was ok. I made sure she got home.” He said, reassuring her, “I went back and raided their headquarters after. They shouldn't be a problem anymore.”

“Well that's good news. Do you know when you'll be back?” She asked.

“I was planning on staying a couple more days, just to make sure they're taken care of.” Jack said.

“Ok. Bren had another nightmare.” She told him.

Jack sighed on the other end, “Was it bad?”

“Not terrible. I was able to wake him pretty quickly.” She said sadly.

Jack was silent at the other end, both of them feeling for their son's suffering.

“I'll try to be back by tomorrow night.” He said.

“I'll tell Bren you'll be home soon. That should lift his spirits.” Angela smiled, “I'm almost back. I'll talk with you tomorrow. Ich leibe dich.” (I love you)

“I love you too.” He told her before hanging up.

Angela sighed, slipping her phone back into her pocket before descending into the bunker. She opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, immediately hearing Bren squeal in joy and leaping into her arms, Bastion following behind him.

“I missed you momma.” He told her, snuggled into her neck.

“I missed you to, meine leibe.” She said, pressing a kiss to his head and letting him down, “Guess what?”

Bren's eyes widened in excitement, “They had my book?”

“Even better.” She said, pulling the plastic wrapped box out of her bag, “He got you the whole series.”

Bren squealed again, running over to show Bastion, telling him about each of the books.

“Come on, we have to go and finish Through the Looking Glass now so we can start on these!” He said bouncing next to the omnic.

Bastion beeped in agreement and they went into the other room to continue reading.

Angela shook her head, smiling at her son's joy before heading into the kitchen to put away the food.


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm on her phone ripped her from sleep. Grabbing her phone, thinking it was Talon closing in on them again, she immediately flipped it on, prepared to bolt. But it wasn't Talon.

Overwatch Recall Order- Report to Watchpoint Gibraltar.

Angela's heart clenched, she couldn't believe it. Overwatch Recall. Minimizing the message, she called Jack.

“Did you get the message?” She asked quickly.

“Yeah I was just about to call you. Plan?” He said, a touch of excitement in his voice.

“I'm going to call Lena. She should be able to pick us up. I don't want to use the airport.” Angela told him.

“I agree. We can't take unneeded risks now. Though we should be safer in Gibraltar with everyone there.” Jack agreed.

“I wonder how many will respond?” Angela said quietly, thinking of all of her old friends.

“I don't know. I'll meet you in Gibraltar though. I love you.” Jack said.

“Alright. I'll see you soon. Ich leibe dich.” She said as she hung up the phone.

Angela walked out into the hall, Bastion looking at her, buzzing worriedly.

“Don't worry my friend. We're going to Gibraltar. Overwatch has been recalled.” Angela explained to him, “I'm going to call Lena and have her pick us up.”

Bastion nodded, walking out to the sitting room, grabbing a duffel bag and carefully packing away Bren's favorite books.

Angela watched him with a smile, grabbing a bag of her own as she dialed Lena.

“Well hello love!” Lena chirped, obviously ecstatic, “What's up?”

“You want to come and pick us up? Jack's in Dorado with the jet at the moment.” Angela explained, walking back to her room with the bag.

“It would be my pleasure! It should take me about five hours to get there. Be ready!” Lena said, hanging up the phone presumably to sprint to her jet.

Angela couldn't help the smile, she was happy she was going to see her friends again, her makeshift family. Her smile faltered a bit when she thought of Bren. How would he react to all these new people? Would he feel safe or be terrified? They'd have to tackle that when it came. With Bastion there with him it should be ok for the most part. And Bren loved Winston, always curious about what the scientist had to say when he visited.

Angela packed hers and Jack's things into the bag, wrapping the pictures in the clothes to keep them save. She pulled the munitions trunk out of the closet, popping it open to see what was in there and what was needed. Jack's rifle was gone of course, but she could pack some more helix rockets into it and a few more clips for the side arms. Angela walked to the storage room, passing Bastion as he placed the book bag next to their go kit. She quickly grabbed what she needed and went back to pack it away.

“Hey Bastion.” She called out, “Can you help me with this?”

Bastion came into the room, holo pad out, “Of course. I'm glad I will see Torbjorn again.”

Angela smiled at the quirky bot, “I'm happy too. So many old friends.”

Bastion nodded, grabbing the handle of the munitions trunk and dragging it to the front door with ease.

Angela grabbed her duffel and followed him, setting it with the other things.

It was about 5am when she finished grabbing everything she needed and securing everything else into the storage room, just in case someone else got in. Lena should be arriving any minute so Angela walked up the stairs, Bastion following her.

The sun's light was peeking over the horizon, gently illuminating the land. Angela would miss this place in a way. She missed all of them. There was something to love about each place they'd stayed over the years. Basrah was the marketplace for the most part. She'd never seen another like it, so vibrant and lovely.

But it was time to go home. She saw Lena's jet glint in the morning light in the distance

“There's our ride, Bastion.” Angela told him, pointing to the jet.

“I will carry the bags up.” He popped up.

“Thank you.” Angela said lovingly to the sweet omnic.

It didn't take long for Lena to close the distance and land on the dust ground. Lena zipped out as Bastion came up the stairs with an arm full of bags.

“I've missed you so much love!” She said, holding onto Angela tightly.

“I know. I'm so happy we get to be together again.” Angela told her, “I need to go and wake Bren.”

“Alright. I'll help Bastion with the bags then.” She chirped happily as Ganymede flew out of the door, landing on Lena's shoulder with a chirp of his own.

Angela practically flew down the stairs to her son's room. He was still sound asleep, no nightmares bothering him tonight. She gently lifted him from his bed, keeping his blanket around him, laying his head on her shoulder. She worried about what would happen if he just woke up in a strange place so she decided she should wake him to see Lena.

“Sweetheart, it's time to wake up. Auntie Lena's here.” She said, gently bouncing him to rouse him.

Bren lifted his head from her shoulder, wiping at his eyes, “Why's Auntie Lena here?” He mumbled.

“She came to pick us up, meine leibe. I've already packed our things.” She told him softly.

Bren's face snapped to his mother's, eyes wide with fear, “Are they coming?”

Angela pulled him in close, “Oh no sweets. Nothing bad has happened. We're headed to Gibraltar. Uncle Winston is there. He can't wait to see you.”

Bren relaxed a bit, wiggling to get down. Angela set him down, taking his hand in hers and carrying his blanket. He pulled at her, heading towards the door. Bastion was grabbing the munitions case, the last thing to be taken up.

“Bastion! We're going to see Uncle Winston!” He said to his best friend, who beeped in response.

They went up the stairs to the top door. Bren stopped at the entryway, fear always making going outside hard for him.

“It's alright sweetheart. Come on. Lena's waiting for us.” Angela said soothingly, kneeling down next to her son, “Do you want me to carry you?”

Bren nodded, clinging to his mother. Angela stood and carried him to the jet where Lena and Bastion were waiting. Once inside the jet, Bren visibly relaxed, hoping down and jumping into Lena's arms.

“How're you doing, love?” she asked, snuggling him close. She set the boy in the copilot's seat and took her seat, starting up the engines.

Bren buckled himself in, chattering about all the books he'd been reading and things he'd been doing online.

Angela sat back into one of the seats, exhausted from being up all night packing. She watched out the windows as the desert fell away, jet rising into the clear skies and turning towards Gibraltar. 

She felt a sense of relief. Finally they wouldn't be hiding constantly, always afraid of an attack from Talon. The ease of mind she felt lulled her into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

“Mom! Mom! Mom!” Bren squealed, waking his mother from her nap, “We're almost there!”

Angela smiled at him, yawning, “Did Auntie Lena tell you there would be more people there than just Uncle Winston?”

“Yes momma.” He said looking slightly anxious.

“I'm sure they'll all love you baby, and I know they'd all protect you with their lives.” Angela told him, trying to reassure him.

Bren crawled into his mother's lap, seeking comfort, “Will daddy be there?”

“I don't know if he's here yet but he said he'd meet us here.” She said.

“Okay.” He said, snuggling into her arms as the jet flew into the hangar.

Bastion whirred at Bren, he and Ganymede trying to cheer the boy up. Bren looked at his friend who held out his hand to the boy. He took the omnic's hand, sliding off his mothers lap as Lena zipped out of the cockpit.

“Alright loves! We're here!” She told them before flashing off the plane.

Bastion walked down the ramp with Bren, Angela passing them to lead the way, turning towards Winston's lab.

Angela saw Fareeha come out of one of the doors to their left.

“Fareeha! It's so good to see you again.” Angela said smiling.

“It's good to see you too. Have you been safe?” She asked.

Angela felt her son hit the back of her legs, clinging to her and hiding from the stranger, “We've been attacked several times since we were in Seattle, but we've managed to escape every time.”

Angela knelt down, pulling her son around and picking him up so he could hid his face in her neck, “He's a bit shy with new people.”

“He's gotten so big!” Fareeha commented, “I'm glad you're both ok.” 

Fareeha left them, walking towards one of the storage bunkers, while Angela and Bastion walked on towards Winston's lab. As they walked up the rise and turned the corner to the lab Angela saw that the lab seemed to be where everyone was congregating.

She spotted some of her old friends and some new faces. Genji was talking to Lena at the door while some kid on lightblades was testing out his wall riding on the buildings.

“It's good to see you again, Genji.” She said as she walked past.

Genji nodded to her, eyes following the boy in her arms but not saying anything.

Inside the lab was even busier. Reinhart and Torjborn were talking to one side while Winston was talking to a young girl dressed in a half shirt and a pair of shorts and the omnic Zenyatta. She recognized Genji's brother Hanzo standing alone in the corner. Jesse was talking to Mei, leaning against the railing.

Bren burrowed deeper into her neck, starting to shake a little with fear. Angela whispered into his ear, telling him everything was ok and he didn't need to be scared. Bastion had gone to greet Torbjorn. Angela decided to take Bren over to Winston, hoping his love for the scientist would overpower his fear.

“Bren baby, look. It's Uncle Winston!” She said. 

He peeked his head out as Winston opened his arms for the boy. Bren hesitated before hoping down and running to the gorilla, practically climbing up his chest plate for a hug. Jesse and Mei walked over to her.

“Well doesn't he look just like Commander Morrison.” Jesse commented, looking at Angela.

Angela smiled, having expected this reaction from the people who didn't know, “Bren does look just like his father, doesn't he?”

Winston took the boy for a ride, jumping onto his tire swing and climbing up the railing towards Athena, Bren squealing with joy as he held on.

“Well I guess it's nice that we still have a part of the Commander.” Mei said sadly.

Angela didn't say anything, smiling at her son who was excitedly chatting with Winston about some scientific thing or another, feeling better now that he wasn't surrounded by strangers.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, pulling it out. It was a message from Jack.

Found some leftovers. I'll be leaving in 12 hours once I clean up.

Angela texted him back saying they'd arrived and she wasn't going to tell anyone about him. That was for him to tell.

She walked back out of the lab, breathing in the fresh Mediterranean air, seeing Genji approach her.

“It's good to see you again, Dr. Zeigler. I see that things have changed a bit while we've been away.” Genji said, referencing her son.

“Yes. Things have changed a lot.” She chuckled, “It's nice to be able to be outside and not having to watch my back constantly.”

“What's been going on?” Genji asked concerned.

Angela sighed, “I've been on the run from Talon for the last six years. They found out about Bren and now Reyes is after him.”

“Commander Reyes is alive?” He asked, confused.

“Yes, he's with Talon now under the name Reaper.”

Genji was silent for a moment, digesting this information, “Is that the reason for the recall then?”

“I don't know. Something must have happened to make Winston recall all of us.” She said.

Reinhart poked his head out the door, “We're all headed up for a meeting. Winston's got Bren.”

They nodded, walking into the lab and over the catwalks to the briefing room. Angela saw her son, hiding in Winston's fur as everyone filed in and took their seats. Lena was next to Winston, talking to Bren to try and sooth him while Bastion stood by.

Angela walked up, leaning over her son, “Come here my darling.” She said lifting him from Winston's shoulder and taking a seat next to him.

Bren peeked out from his mothers hair when he noticed Genji sit down next to her. He couldn't help his curiosity as he stared at the metal man. Angela noticed, shifting Bren into her lap.

“Are you an omnic?” the boy asked.

Genji chuckled a bit, “No I'm not an omnic, but I am made of metal for the most part.”

“How does that work?” Bren asked sitting up more.

“Well you see, I was in a big battle and I almost died, but your mother saved me. She made me this body to replace the parts that were broken.” Genji explained. 

“But how does it work? Can your metal skin feel like normal skin?” Bren asked persistantly.

Genji paused, a bit taken aback at Bren's intelect at such a young age, “Yes I can feel like you can. Your mother hooked it all up to my nerves so I can move it without thinking about it like you move your body.” He said, going into a bit more detail.

Bren's eyes lit up, turning to his mother, “That is so cool mom! I've never read about anything like this!”

“That's because I was the first one to do it.” Angela told him.

Winston cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, “I'm sure you're all wondering why I decided to initiate a recall to active duty for Overwatch agents.” He said, “Last night at 2200, Talon attacked.”

Angela felt Bren freeze in her arms, curling closer to her in fear.

“Reaper, who we now know is Gabriel Reyes, inserted a remote hacking device into Athena and attempted to extract all agent's known locations. It was a very close call and I decided that we couldn't just sit by while Talon has been wreaking havoc all over the world.”

Jesse sat up, “Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that Commander Reyes is alive?”

Winston pulled up a video on the holo pad in the table showing Reaper. He used Reyes' unique fighting style as he attacked a Vishkar laboratory.

Jesse sat back, silent as he watched.

“Talon is too big for any single government to deal with. The world needs Overwatch again.” Winston said, hoping everyone else agreed. 

Lena gave a whoop of excitement next to him. Others nodded their agreement. Hanzo sat silent.

Winston passed a stack of papers down the table, “Here's room assignments, and if Angela is up for it, I'd like all of you to stop by the lab and get a physical.”

Angela looked at Winston, eyes wide, “I have a lab?”

Winston smiled, pointing to the map, “I remembered how much you'd been needing a full stocked lab so I've been putting one together for the last couple of years.” He told her.

“Thank you.” She told him before turning to the rest, “I can see some of you today, and the rest we'll get don tomorrow. I'll post a sign up sheet outside the door and please don't be late to your appointment.”

The others started to file out, heading off to their assigned rooms. Angela turned back to Winston.

“So who are the new kids?” She asked.

“Oh well Lucio kind of made a name for himself fighting against Vishkar in the favelas of Rio. The girl is Hana Song. She's from Korea and had been hand picked for their MEKA program. She's a fantastic pilot of that suit of hers.”

“Momma. Can I go with Winston to the Library? He promised he'd show me.” Bren asked.

Angela looked to Winston who nodded, “Alright love. Behave yourself!”

The boy practically flew out of her lap and onto Winston, who laughed at his antics, “Bastion you have to come with us! There'll be so many books!” He said to the omnic still behind Winston.

She shook her head in amusement as they left for the library, this seemed to be going okay for him, and he'd be better once he got to know everyone. Angela stood, walking out to grab her laptop from the jet so she could go down to her lab. 

She felt like she was soaring when she walked through the door. It had everything! It felt just like the old days, like Overwatch again.

Angela immediately set to work, printing off a timesheet and posting it outside the door with a pen. Then she set to work familiarizing herself with the lab and it's equipment. Everything she'd been dreaming of testing would be possible now. She'd have the answers she needed about her son.


	4. Chapter 4

Angela was working on her computer, syncing it with her laptop, when Lena burst through her door.

“Come with me. NOW!” She said, eyes wide with panic.

Angela dropped her mouse and immediately ran out the door after her friend, “What's happened?”

“Winston was bringing Bren back to you in the lab, but when they passed the shooting range, Jesse was target shooting and Bren just started screaming. We can't get him to calm so I came to get you.” Lena said.

Angela knew what was happening and pushed herself faster, skidding around the corner towards the shooting range. She could hear him screaming still.

She saw Genji, Jesse, and Bastion standing around Bren in Winston's arms. Angela pushed her way in and scooped up her son, pressing his body into her chest, whispering into his ear. Bren started to calm, looking up at his mother.

“It was really loud, mommy.” He mumbled through the sniffs.

“I know sweetheart, but Jesse didn't mean to scare you.” She told him. “Did you know that Jesse is a real life cowboy?”

He looked up at his mother, eyes still puffy with tears, “Really?”

“Yup. He's a real life cowboy. Do you want to see?” She asked, running a hand over his hair.

Bren nodded, shifting in his mother's arms to see better. 

Jesse came up, “Do you like cowboys kiddo?”

Bren nodded again. Jesse pulled out his revolver, spinning it around in his hand.

“Would you like to see how good he is?” Angela asked, wanting to expose him so he'd be okay with the gunfire that was common here, “I promise it's not scary and you can cover your ears.”

Bren shook his head, burying it in his mother's shoulder again.

Angela just held him close, worrying about what this meant for them staying here.

“I didn't mean to scare the boy.”Jesse said softly.

“I know. Let me get him calmed down and I'll explain everything.” Angela told them, not wanting them to think it was their fault.

She stood, carrying her son to her lab, and sat him on the exam table. She could tell that he was still full of anxiety and that all of this change was a bit much for him. Angela went over to her cabinet full of pharmaceuticals, looking for the Hydroxizine. She'd used it for Bren when he was having a hard time with his anxiety. It was a nifty drug. It had originally been used as an allergy medicine but it had the unintended effect of reducing anxiety so it was a good choice for children. None of the pesky side effects of the traditional anxiety meds like Xanex.

“It's alright, mein leibe, everything's ok.” She told him, handing him the pill to take.

He sat on the exam table while his mother worked. Angela waiting until the meds kicked in, making him drowsy with the antihistamine properties, and picked him up, holing him close until he fell asleep. Angela knew he'd be out for a couple of hours, so she laid him in the recliner in her office and tucked him in with his blanket.

Jesse was waiting outside her lab, pacing in the hall, “I just wanted to say I'm sorry ag...”

Angela cut him off, “It's really not your fault. When he was 4 we were hiding in Peru in the supply bunkers at Terapoto. We'd been there for almost a year when Talon found us. I was walking back from the market with Bren when they attacked. He got hit with shrapnel from a grenade before I could get him back to the bunker.” She told him, leaving the part about Jack out, “The incident cause PTSD. He hasn't been the same since. He doesn't go outside the safety of whatever base or bunker we're at, he dislikes any kind of violence and he takes awhile to trust people.”

Jesse stood silent, feeling for what the boy had been through.

“I'm sure he'll feel safe here soon. I hope his adjusts to Gibraltar quickly. He hasn't been around this many people in a very long time.” Angela said sadly.

“Well you know that if there's anything any of us can do to help the little guy, we'll be there.” Jesse said, tipping his hat and walking away.

Angela went back into the lab, sitting at her computer to type up what she needed in order to get started on the experiments she'd had planned for years. She'd need to give herself hormone shots to induce egg production to harvest for the main experiment. Once she had the eggs she could study the effects that Jack's DNA had on the zygote.

Angela lost herself in her work as she had in the old days, it felt good to be being productive again. It felt like it had only a few minutes when Bren came up to her, crawling into her lap. She kissed his head and kept typing. 

“How was the library love?” She asked.

“It was the best mom!” He said perking up at the mention of books, “There were more books there than I've seen in my whole life!”

“Well if you want you can ask Athena where Bastion is and go read to him.” Angela said, trying to get him to be a bit more outgoing.

“Who's Athena?” He asked curiously.

Angela looked up at the ceiling, “Hey Athena.”

“What can I help you with Dr. Zeigler?” Came Athena's smooth voice.

Bren looked at his mother with wide eyes, “That is so cool!”

“Athena, this is Bren. He needs help finding his friend Bastion. Can you help him?” Angela asked, smiling at her son.

“Of course, Bastion is currently with engineer Torbjorn in the hangar. Do you need directions?” Athena said.

Bren jumped up, his excitement out weighing any anxiety he might have had through the meds, “Yes please Athena.”

A strip of blue light appeared in the floor, leading out of the lab, “Please follow the blue line. I will guide you to Bastion.”

Bren followed, looking back at his mother, who shooed him away, as he reached the door, before disappearing.

“Athena, can you give me a map to track Bren?” She asked.

A map appeared on her computer, showing a moving dot moving down the hallway. It wasn't far to the hangar so she wasn't too worried. Soon he reached his destination, the dot moving back towards the lab soon after.

Bren was laughing when he came back, “That was the best mom! Athena took me strait to Bastion and then, when I asked, she led me back!”

“Athena is very helpful. You can always ask her for help.” Angela told him.

“Can I ask her questions?” He asked brightly.

“Why don't you ask her.” She told him with a smile.

“Hey Athena, can I ask you questions when I don't know something?”

“If it is something I have the answer to and it's not classified information, I would be more than happy to help you.” The computer said.

“Alright sweetheart, I still have some work to do so you and Bastion go into the other room and read.” She told them, turning back to her computer. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Angela emerged from her office, expecting to find Bren and Bastions reading. But they weren't.

“Hey Athena, can you give me a technical readout of Genji's body?” Bren said.

Angela shook her head in disbelief, standing in the doorway. Winston was going to have fun when he saw what he'd been up to.

“I'm sorry Bren but those are classified files.” Athena told him.

“What are you doing?” Angela said, getting her son's attention.

“Mom! Can I have a technical readout of Genji's body?” He asked, running up to his mother with the best puppy dog eyes he could muster, “Please mom!”

Angela sighed, “I can't give you that. Have you ever heard of Doctor/Patient Confidentiality?”

“No.” He said, looking confused.

“Well it means that I have to keep my patients information secret and I can't tell anyone unless the person says so. So you'd have to ask him yourself.” Angela explained, hoping that Bren would warm up to the younger Shimada. 

Bren looked down at his feet, “Will you come with me?” He asked quietly.

“Of course, meine leibe.” Angela said lovingly.

He smiled at his mother taking her hand, “Hey Athena, can I have directions to Genji?”

“Agent Genji is currently in his quarters with Agent Hanzo. Please follow the blue line. I will give you directions to Genji.” Athena replied.

Bren practically dragged his mother after the line, Athena telling them where to turn until they reached the correct door.

Bren stopped, looking to his mother and moving closer to her.

“You have to knock dear or they won't know you're here.” She told him.

He mumbled something under his breath, moving behind his mother.

“What was that? I couldn't hear you.” She said crouching down to face him.

“I'm afraid. Can't you do it?” He mumbled again.

“No dear heart. I can't do this for you. You don't need to be afraid of anyone here. They're here to protect you.” Angela explained, trying to comfort him and push him out of his comfort zone, “Now I want you to take a deep breath and knock on the door.”

Bren closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He hesitated before taking a timid step forward and quickly knocking, stepping straight back to his mother.

She kept him from hiding behind her, rubbing a comforting hand over his shoulder as Genji opened the door.

“Hello Angela.” He greeted warmly.

“Hello Genji. Bren has something he wants to ask you.” She said, wanting him to get to know Genji.

Genji crouched down. Angela could see Hanzo in the room, standing stiff and tense. It was hard to believe the two were brothers with as different as they were.

“What would you like to ask, otoko?” Genji asked gently.

Bren fidgeted, starting at his feet. He was silent for a few moments before he finally got up the courage to speak.

“I wanted to know more about how your body works, but my mom said I have to ask you that.”

Genji let out a little chuckle, “What would you like to know about my body?” He asked, standing and holding out a hand for the boy to take.

Bren looked at his hand, paralyzed by his fear for a moment before timidly reaching out and taking the hand, “I was wondering how your joints work. Are they actuators like omnics or more like human joints?”

Genji walked with him out the doors, “They're like your joints. Your mother was very diligent in making this body as close to what I had before as possible. Would you like to see what my body can do?”

Bren's curiosity overrode his fears, “Really? Yes!”

Genji laughed, taking off up the wall, climbing to the top of the building and then flipping himself off backwards, doing a flip before landing on the ground next to the boy again.

“That's so cool! How do the muscles work?”


	5. Chapter 5

Angela laid her son down in his bed, Winston having set up a room for him connected to hers, Bastion sitting in the corner. Bren had fallen asleep in her lab, having worn himself out with Genji. Genji was enamored with Bren's incessant curiosity, answering as many of the boy's questions as he could.

Bren had spent the last two years inside, reading. She'd taught him to read by 4, and once he could read, he took off. His curiosity drove him to learn more, and soon he'd been reading some of her medical books, asking his mother whenever he didn't understand something. Then when Bastion had come along, Bren wanted to read to him and help him learn about the world.

Angela was glad that Bren had enjoyed his time with the Shimada, knowing it was a step in the right direction for Bren to be comfortable here at Gibraltar.

“Thank you for staying with us, Bastion. I know it makes him feel better.” She said to the Omnic.

Bastion brought up his holopad, “I don't want him to be afraid.”

“I know. I don't either.” She said, walking out the door to her room.

Angela flopped down on to the bed, pulling out her phone. It was only 8:30. Maybe she'd go and spend some time with the others.

But first she needed to talk to Jack, let him know what was going on here.

“Hey sweetheart.” He answered.

“Hey. Did you take care of the rest of the problem?” She asked.

“Yeah, I'm flying right now. I have a stop to make though.” Jack told her.

Angela paused for a moment, confused, “What stop? I grabbed all of your stuff from Basrah.”

“I'm headed to the Necropolis.” He said.

Angela's eyes went wide, “You do know that Fareeha is here right? It could get violent.”

“I know but she want to join back up with Overwatch, so I guess her daughter is her problem. She's the one who disappeared.” Jack said.

Angela let out a sigh, hoping they didn't fight in front of Bren, “He had a panic attack today.”

“What happened?” He asked worriedly.

“Winston was bringing him back to the lab from the library and Jesse was target shooting. I managed to calm him down and gave him some of the meds. He seems rather intrigued by Genji though.” She said with a chuckle.

“Well at least he's warming up to someone. Who's all there?” He asked.

“Well outside of Reinhart, Lena, Torbjorn, Winston, Fareeha, Jesse and Genji let's see, Hanzo showed up, Zenyatta, Mei, and a couple of new kids. One of them is Lucio out of Rio, I'm sure you've heard of him and the other is Hana Song, the MEKA pilot from Korea.” She told him.

“Has anyone heard anything from Kimiko, Mirembe or Maria?” Jack asked, wondering about some of the other Overwatch agents.

“No. Nothing I've heard.” Angela said, a sad tinge to her voice.

“Well hopefully we'll hear from them soon. How's your lab?” He asked, knowing how much she'd been wanting and needing one.

“Oh it's fantastic! I feel like I could thank Winston a hundred times and still it wouldn't be enough.” She said happily, “It's got all the equipment I need to run my tests. Speaking of which I need to discuss those with you.”

“You know I'll do anything to help Bren.” He said seriously.

“I know, meine geliebte. I'm planning on running an experiment on how your DNA accounts for 2/3s of Brens. It would require the fertilization of eggs in a lab setting and then watching what changes happen with cell division.” Angela explained.

“Alright. We can do whatever needs to be done when I get there. I should only be about 6 more hours.” He told her.

“Okay. I haven't said anything about you to anyone else. I felt like that was something for you to tell them if you wanted to.”

“Well since Talon knows I'm alive, there's not much point in still being dead.” He reasoned.

“Alright. I'll see you soon. Ich leibe dich.”

“See you soon. I love you too.” He said ending the call.

Angela sighed, at least she wouldn't have to try and hide her relationship once everyone knew that Jack was alive. She got up out of her bed, told Bastion that she was going out, and headed towards the lounge. She was sure at least some of the others would be there.

She turned the corner, nearly running into Zenyatta.

“Greetings, Dr. Zeigler.” The omnic said.

“Oh hello Zenyatta. Are you enjoying it here at Gibraltar?” She asked kindly.

“I believe that we can do some good in this world, but I wanted to ask you something.” Zenyatta said.

“What do you need?” Angela asked, curious.

“I saw what happened with your young son today. I was wondering if you would like me to try some meditation techniques with him to quiet his fears?” The omnic offered.

Angela thought for a moment, “I'll talk to Bren about it in the morning. I do think that it would be helpful to him. Shall we meet up on my lunch break tomorrow at 11:30?”

“That would be agreeable.” He said, “I am looking forward to meeting your son.”

Angela thanked him before heading off towards the lounge. Bren should like Zenyatta's calm demeanor, and he was forever curious of the omnics.

The door to the lounge was open and she heard voices inside. Hana and Lucio were playing some game on the tv, Reinhart and Torbjorn were talking over beer in the corner and Lena and Winston were watching the new kids. Angela caught Winston's attention and motioned him over. He stepped out the door with her.

“What's up Angela?” He asked.

“Jack is coming in in a few hours. He's bringing Ana with him.” Angela told him, knowing he needed to be ready if anything happened between her and Fareeha.

Winston stroked his chin, “That could be problematic. Thank you for telling me.”

The pair walked back into the lounge, joining Lena at the table.

“What's up love?” Lena asked.

Angela whispered, “Jack will be here in a few hours.

Lena lit up, “Well that's fantastic!”

“I know. I'll be happy to have him here.” Angela said relaxing into her seat.

It was nice to be able to just spend time with her friends, not worrying about Talon finding them every second. They all sat together, talking, others coming and going. It was an easy atmosphere, like the old days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angela's phone buzzed annoyingly, rousing her from her comfortable bed.

“Hallo?” She said, too tired for english.

“Ich bin fast zu hause.” Jack said on the other end, knowing german was easier for her when she's tired. (I'm almost home.)

“Das ist fantastisch.” She said groggily, “Ich werde für dich warten. Ich leibe dich.” (That's fantastic. I'll be waiting for you. I love you.)

“Ich lieve dich auch.” He said, hanging up the phone.

Angela laid down her phone with a yawn, taking a moment before climbing out of her nice warm bed. She popped her head in on Bren, still asleep as it was only a bit after 2am.

“Jack's almost here.” She said to Bastion, “I'm going to go and meet him.”

Bastion whirred his understanding and she closed the door. She got herself dressed, throwing her hair up in a ponytail. She hoped that since it was so late there wouldn't be too many people still awake. Angela made her way to the hangar.

“Hey Angela.” Said Winston, who was waiting in the hangar.

“Hey. You waiting for them too?” She asked.

“Yeah I thought it best to brief Ana before Fareeha sees her. Try to head off any trouble.”

Angela nodded, yawning again, “Hey Athena. Will you let me know if Bren wakes up?”

“Of course Dr. Zeigler.” Came the computer's reply.

She and Winston fell into a comfortable silence, Winston pulling out his holopad, showing Angela the jet's location. It was only a couple minutes out now. She leaned back against the railing of the catwalks, listening for the telltale hum of the engines over the pounding of the waves against the cliffs.

Angela watched the map, the dot almost on top of them before she heard it, moving down the catwalk to watch it come in. She waved when she saw Jack through the cockpit.

He landed with ease, lowering the ramp as she came down the stairs.

“Du hast mir gefehlt.” She said lovingly as she reached the bottom of the stairs and into Jack's arms. (I missed you.)

Jack held her close, kissing her hair, “Ich habe dich auch vermisst. Wei ist Bren?” (I missed you too. How is Bren)

“Er schläft mit Bastion.” She said, pulling away as she saw her old friend coming down the ramp, “I'm glad to see you're alive despite everything.” (He's sleeping with Bastion.)

Ana gave her a wry smile, “Even without you around, it takes more than a sniper bullet to kill me.”

Angela gave a laugh, moving to hug her friend.

“Now I expect to see your boy tomorrow. I've been hearing about him for years now.” Angela said in her motherly tone.

“I think you're going to have quite a bit to deal with with your own child.” Angela said, slightly disapproving.

Ana sighed, “I know. I hope she doesn't hate me. She's grown up to be such a strong and capable warrior. I'm proud of her.”

Angela smiled, stepping back into Jack, “She has. I may not be here if it wasn't for her and your sister.”

Winston came down from anchoring the jet to the charging ports, greeting Ana and asking her to follow him for a brief meeting. Angela led Jack back to their room.

“I know I say it every time, but I do love it that you learned German for me.” Angela said, smiling at him.

“Well it does make it easier to talk to you when you're tired.” He laughed, pulling her down onto the bed with him.

Angela snuggled down into his arms, “I talked with Zenyatta earlier. He asked if he could do some meditation training with him to try and help with the PTSD.”

“If anyone can help him, I think Zenyatta is a good bet.” Jack said, sliding his fatigues off and going under the covers, happy to be back.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack and Angela woke to Bren squealing with joy and flying through the air at them.

“Daddy! You're back!”

All she heard from Jack was an oomf as Bren landed on him. Jack's arm came out of the blanket to hold him close as Angela rolled out of the bed t give them more room. She glanced at the clock. 5:56. Damn.

Angela walked to the bathroom, leaving Jack tickling their son, drawing shrieks of laughter from him. It was going to be a long day. Everyone had their physicals today save Bastion and Zenyatta. And there was the whole Ana/Fareeha situation.

She sighed, knowing she was worrying too much and climbed into the shower. She didn't want to take too long so she got right into washing her hair and body. Her skin was fresh and flawless, her nanite experiments fighting the effects of aging. Now that she had a lab she should be able to replicate the experiments that were all still in her laptop and give Jack the same treatment. It may not reverse much of the aging that had already happened, but it should keep him from aging more. She hadn't had time to research the effects fully so she may be wrong. From what she had seen the nanites seemed to seek out any damage, not just an injury and fix it so over time it could conceivably reverse his aging as well. 

Angela stepped out of the shower, making a mental note to write up that experiment as well when she had time. By the time she was dressed and put her hair up again, the boys were gone. Angela picked up her phone. Jack had left her a message.

Heading down to the mess hall with these two. See you when you get out. Didn't take my mask. 

No use pretending she figured. With Bren calling him dad and loving on him it would be apparent to those who didn't already know that Jack was alive. Angela hurried down to the mess hall, wanting to make sure Bren didn't need his medication with everyone there. 

She found them sitting at a table with Lena, Winston and Genji. Bren was quiet but didn't seem too upset. She took the free seat across from her son.

“How's it going?” She asked everyone.

“We have a meeting tonight to discuss the information we have on Talon. 2000. Other than that, everyone should be in for their physicals.” Winston said.

Angela nodded, “So how did the introductions go?” She asked Jack.

He gave a laugh, “Well no one's tried to punch me for disappearing so better than the last time.” He grinned, looking at Lena.

“Hey. That's not fair. Things were different.” Lena pouted.

Jack laughed again.

“Why did you try and hit daddy?” Came Bren's small voice, confused.

“Well you see, this was when daddy came back from being gone like we told you. Aunty Lena was mad that I'd left in the first place and she decided to try and hit me. She was just upset for mommy. Everything's ok now.” Jack told his son, pulling him close and kissing him before looking at the door, “Oh fuck.”

Everyone turned to see Ana walking into the mess hall, Fareeha seated with her back to the door hadn't seen anything yet.

“ANA!” Lena squealed, launching herself into the old sniper for a hug.

Fareeha stood, spinning to see her mother, shock written all over her face, “Mother?”

Lena stepped back, allowing Ana to walk to her daughter, “Hello Fareeha.”

Fareeha's face morphed to anger and she walked out of the mess hall, fuming. Angela could see Ana's figure slump slightly at the less than ideal reunion.

“Was ist los mom?” Bren asked, slightly tense. (What's going on mom)

“Mach dir keine sorgen um meinen schatz.” She said, “Ana ist schon lange weg.” (Don't worry my darling. Ana has been gone a long time.)

“Hey now.” Lena said sitting back down, “It's really not fair when you speak in German. Reinhart is the only other one who know's what you're on about.”

Bren giggled at his aunt.

“Okay, ich habe heute arbeit zu machen.” Angela said, deliberately annoying Lena. (Alright, I have work to do today.)

“Ich werde Bren halten, während du arbeitest.” Jack said with a smile at Lena, who huffed in annoyance, “Ich leibe dich.” (I'll keep Bren while you work. I love you.)

“Ich leibe dich auch.” Angela said getting up from the table and blowing a kiss to her son.

Angela walked to her lab, seeing Fareeha standing outside her door, “Are you here for your physical or something else?”

Fareeha nodded sharply, obviously still upset. Angela opened up the exam room, pulling the appointment sheet from the wall as she entered. Fareeha was at the top of the list. Angela tossed her a robe.

“Alright you'll need to dress down.” Angela said, sliding back into her doctor role easily.

“Did you know?”

Angela froze, turning back to face the girl, “Jack ran into her a few years back at the Necropolis. She didn't even want him to tell me. I know this must be hard for you Fareeha. It was hard for me to when Jack came back.”

Angela could see the emotion roiling just behind Fareeha's stoic mask, “I would encourage you to think about this, not as your mother abandoning you, because she did it to make you less of a target for Talon after the fall of Overwatch, but as a loved one you've been missing is back and you should enjoy the time you have.”

Fareeha looked down, “I'll think about that.”

Angela nodded, going into her office to let her dress down. Hopefully she wouldn't stay angry at her mother. For her sake and for the team's sake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Angela ended up having to work through her lunch, sending Jack a text to take Bren to meet Zenyatta, and was absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. She'd spent hours updating medical information and making completely new records for Lucio and Hana. Jack had come by at dinner, bringing her a plate of food and telling her he'd get Bren to bed if she wasn't done yet.

It had taken 2 more hours to finally finish typing up all of her notes. She realized how much having her nurses and team to help her get everything done. 

Angela now had to get to the briefing room for the meeting and she just wanted to fall into bed.

She took a seat at the table, next to Lena and leaned onto her shoulder, closing her eyes to rest while the rest of the team filed in.

“You alright love?” Lena asked softly.

“Yeah. It's just been a long day.” Angela sighed.

Jack came in, taking the seat next to her, “Ist nit ihnen alles in ordnung?” (Are you ok)

Angela nodded, shifting herself to lean against Jack, snuggling in under his arm as Winston stood to start the meeting.

“Alright everyone, lets get right down to business.” Winston said, looking around the table, “You all know I called you back because of the increasing threat of Talon. I'm sure you've all seen that our esteemed commander and his second in command have both returned, but right now we need to discuss what we know, what we don't know and how we're going to move forward.”

“What we do know is that Talon has been targeting technologies companies and former Overwatch agents. Their main agents are Reaper, former Blackwatch commander Gabriel Reyes and Widowmaker, Amelie Lacroix, former wife of Overwatch's Talon Strike Force commander Gerrard Lacroix. We've also been getting whispers of an elite hacker known only as Sombra working for Talon. If this information is true, it poses a rather large problem. It's rumored that whoever Sombra is, they can hack into any system. I believe that the device that Reaper inserted into Athena to extract all agents data was made by Sombra. Doomfist has been confirmed to still be secure in Numbani.”

“Now as many of you know, Reaper has already taken out several Overwatch agents, including Singh, and we still have former agents out there including Kimiko, Mirembe and pilot Maria. I am trying to contact them, but we may have to send out teams to ascertain their positions and try to bring them back for their safety. I believe that this is what we should be focusing on.” Winston finished.

“I should be able to find Kimiko without much trouble. I know some of her family.” Genji offered.

“Great. I'll speak with you later about heading up a team to go to Japan.” Winston said with a nod.

Angela sat up from Jack's side, “Another think we need to discuss is Bren. I'm sure you've all heard about the incident yesterday at the shooting range. Bren has PTSD from the trauma of Talon's attacks on us over the years. Talon is desperate to get their hands on him. He has the same super soldier enhancements that Jack has with an incredible healing rate. If Talon ever got their hands on him and used the same process on him as they did on Amelie, we'd be in real trouble. For that, and many other reasons, we need to talk about what's going to happen when we get called out on a mission. Right now we have the Bastion E-34 unit protecting him, but he'll need additional security as Jack and I will be needed in an emergency. As much as Lucio and Ana can help heal now, I'm still the only doctor versed in trauma care we have.”

“I've had an idea rolling around in my head for a couple of days now.” Lena said, “Emily isn't safe in our flat now that Overwatch is back in full anti-Talon action. I know we have several secure bunkers here on base. What if Emily came to Gibraltar with the purpose of taking Bren to one of these scure bunkers in case of an emergency while Bastion provides security? I know she could be helpful to us as well. She's working as a secretary at a bank right now, but I know she'd be happy to help any way she could.”

“That's actually perfect.” Angela said, “I could use some help with typing up the notes and reports in the lab. What do you think, Winston?”

Winston thought for a moment, looking for any flaws with the plan, “I think that should work fine. I'll leave the planning to you Lena.”

Lena nodded.

“Does anyone else have any pressing information?” Winston asked the group.

Everyone was silent.

“Alright I think that's it then. Jack and Ana. If I could have you meet me tomorrow morning to discus mission planning at 0700?” Winston asked.

They both nodded and everyone else started rising from the table, Jack and Angela heading off to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Things were falling into a routine at Gibraltar. Angela was working in the lab during the day, pulling up her old research on resurrection of the recently dead with Nanite technology. Things were looking promising. Jack was helping Winston most days with planning, falling back into his role as commander. Fareeha had forgiven her mother, and the two of them were off with Genji in Japan. They'd headed to Hakodate to find Kimiko and see if she'd join them.

Bren was spending the day today with Bastion, Lena and Emily, whom Lena had picked up yesterday. Bren seemed to like Emily well enough and was getting along great with Genji, Ana and Zenyatta. He was still a bit wary of Jesse but he was trying to get over it. Bren was terrified of Hanzo though. The rather stone faced archer was distant with most of the people there and hadn't made an effort to quell the child's fears about him.

But for now things were good. Angela was tweaking the programming of the nanites in her caduceus to attempt the resurrection again. She had a supply of mice injected with nanites that she could humanely euthanize and try to resurrect once their hearts had stopped. It had shown a stutter of starting to work but the mice had yet to come alive again, all toxins cleansed from their systems.

Angela unplugged her staff from the computer, ready to test again. She filled a syringe and injected one of her lab mice, monitoring it's vitals so she could revive it as soon as it's heart stopped.

When the computer read a flat line, Angela pressed the button on her staff, driving the nanites into overdrive. The mouse began to twitch, it's eyes opening before it stood and started scurrying around the cage.

Angela couldn't believe it. It worked! She hastily started typing on the computer, logging everything she saw.

“Athena. Call Winston immediately!” She said excitedly.

The mouse's vitals were strong, as if nothing had happened. She knew she needed to test it on something larger than a mouse before she'd be confident saying it would bring back fallen team mates in the field, but this was a huge step forward. 

Winston knocked at her door, Jack with him. 

“Come in. You have to see this! Ich habe es getan!” She called, falling into German in her excitement. (I've done it)

“What have you done, Angel?” Jack asked, stepping close to her.

She pointed to the mouse, Winston looking confused.

Angela pulled out another syringe, injecting the mouse and grabbing her staff.

“Watch.” She said, pressing the button, the mouse twitching and standing back up.

Winston looked at her dumbfounded, “You've done it.”

“Du bist ein genie, meine leibe.” Jack said, pulling her in for a kiss. (You're a genius my love.)

“I'll need to test it on larger test subjects to be sure that it work in the field, but I've proven it can be done.” Angela said in a rush, “Winston would it be possible to get a couple of pigs?”

“I should be able to get some from the local farmers. I'll send Jesse out.” He said, excited at the possibilities, walking out of the lab to find the sharp shooter.

“You are the best, Angel.” Jack said holding her close.

Angela melted into his arms, enjoying the closeness, “I'm basically done today, if you want to go back to our room to celebrate.”

Jack grinned at her wolfishly, “Wie sie es wünschen.” He said, grabbing her by the waist. (As you wish)

Angela shrieked with laughter as he lifted her up, throwing her over his shoulder. He carried her out of the lab and down the hall. As they rounded the corner to the dorms, they ran into Torbjorn.

“Whatcha up to?” He asked suggestively.

Jack smiled at him, patting Angela's ass, causing her to blush furiously. Torbjorn just laughed, wolf whistling as Jack carried her into their room.

“Du bist ein arschen!” She scolded. (You are an ass)

Jack tossed her down onto the bed, “You know you love me though.” He told her, sliding his hands up her legs. 

She gave him a heated look as he hooked a finger on each side of the waist band of her leggings, slowly sliding them down her legs. He groaned as he saw her lacy white thong barely covering her. It was always one of his favorites. Jack climbed over her, kissing her deeply, tongues stroking each other.

Angela brought her arms up, sliding his tank top over his head, immediately running her hands over his muscled chest, as he kissed his way down her jaw and neck, swirling his tongue over her pulse point, drawing a moan from her lips. He slid his hands up her stomach, caressing her smooth skin under her shirt, finding nothing to stop him from continuing up her breasts, rolling her nipples between his finger.

“You are going to be the death of me woman.” He growled, feeling his length pulse with want.

Angela gave him a sly smile, “Then I'll just have to resurrect you.” She said, rubbing his cock through his pants.

Jack growled again, ripping her shirt off over her head and attacking her breasts. Angela gasped, head thrown back into the bed at the sensations coursing through her body. He knew exactly how to tease and nip at her to drive her wild and he was putting it all to use, her nails dragging over his shoulders as moans poured from her. 

Jack released her breast with a pop, kissing his way down her stomach to the thin lace that kept him from his goal. He slowly licked a line up her already damp panties.

“Congratulation.” He said sexily, moving the scrap of lace aside and flicking his tongue over her clit. Angela's thighs quivered as he licked and nibbled at her sensitive nub, her breasts heaving with her pants. He moved to his own belt, slipping his fatigues off and kissing his way back up to her mouth. 

She gasped as his kissed her hard, rolling them so that she was on top, his cock trapped against her core. Craving friction, Angela slid herself along his length, moaning at the pleasurable sensations. She reached behind her, lifting her hips and grasping him. She rubbed his tip through her folds, lining him up.

“Thank you baby.” She moaned breathily, taking him deep within her in a single motion.

Jack groaned as her walls twitched around him, starting to roll her hips, head thrown back as he pressed into that delicious spot inside her. He loved the way her tits bounced as she picked up the pace, the sweet heat of her pulling him closer to the edge. Jack reached up, rolling her nipple again, dragging a fresh moan from her lips. 

He knew he wouldn't last much longer under her onslaught so he reached down to where their bodies met, rubbing his thumb over her clit, determined to drag her over the edge with him. Angela was lost in the wash of sensations, her whole body on fire. She was so close, she lifted her hips and slammed down onto him, waves if ecstasy rolling over her in orgasm. She felt Jack tense up below her in the haze of pleasure and pumped him until they both collapse into a boneless heap, breathing hard.

Jack brushed a sweaty strand of hair out of her face, kissing her forehead, “I love you and I'm so proud of you.” He told her lovingly.

“Danke.” She said, smiling at him. (Thank you)

They both were happy to lay there, basking in the afterglow of their orgasms.


	8. Chapter 8

Angela felt over the moon. Everything was going so well. Her resurrection tests had gone fantastically well and was ready if it was needed in the field. And Bren was getting comfortable with everyone at Gibraltar. Emily adored him and had been a fantastic help in the lab. She and Lena were so adorable together.

Jack had been working with their son as well to get him accustomed to the firing range. He was still really tense during the whole process but didn't go into a full blown panic now. He was still having frequent nightmares, but Angela hoped they would fade with time. 

Bren was in the library at the moment, reading A Wrinkle In Time to Bastion. Winston had stocked the library with things he thought the boy would enjoy. So far, Bren had read 6 novels in the two weeks they'd been here. 

Angela was currently reading over a medical journal from Switzerland, seeing if there was anything she could use in her treatments. 

“Excuse me Dr. Zeigler. Commander Morrison request you to join him in the Lab immediately.” Came Athena over the speakers.

“Alright. Tell him I'm on my way.” She said confused at what this could be about.

Angela hurried to Winston's lab, pulling up the camera in the library on her phone to check on Bren. He was still snuggled into the cushions with the omnic, safe. 

“What's going on?” She asked as she walked up to Jack and Winston.

“Athena had detected a hacking attempt.” Winston said, “I believe it's from Talon. I've managed to track the signal back to it's origin. It corresponds with the location of a possible Talon base. We need you to be ready to move out. We need to attack them before they attack us.”

“Who all is going? We need some to stay here to protect the base.” She asked, worried.

“I was going to leave Bastion, Fareeha and Hana here. Hana is versed enough in computers that she can monitor Athena for any more potential hacks.” Jack told her, “Bren wird sicher sein.” (Bren will be safe.)

“Be ready to move out in three hours.” Winston said, “I'm calling the mission briefing in an hour.”

“I'm going to get Bren and talk to him then.” Angela said, knowing this was going to be hard for him.

Jack nodded, turning back to Athena's monitors to look over information again.

Angela left, pulling out her phone and texting Emily to meet her in the Library before she went in. Bren was still reading to Bastion, not even noticing her come in. 

“Bren, meine leibe, I need to talk to you.” She said.

“What's going on mom?” He asked worriedly.

Angela sat in a chair, pulling her son into her lap, “Mommy and Daddy have to go out and help people.”

Bren looked down, “Are you going to be a doctor?”

“Yes sweetheart, we have a mission and it's my job to make sure everyone's ok.” She said lovingly, “You're going to stay here with Emily, Fareeha, Bastion and Hana. They'll take good care of you and get you to bed love.”

“I don't want you to go momma.” He said, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Well I know if you stay here with me, we can play video games together. Maybe we'll even beat Hana!” Chirped Emily as she walked up to them.

Bren perked up, smiling, “Really?”

“Of course!” She said before whispering, “And I'll even let you stay up late if you don't tell your mom.”

Bren giggled, knowing his mother could hear, “Alright. That sounds good.”

Emily held out her hand, leading Bren out of the library.

Angela looked at Bastion, “Be on alert. We don't know if Talon will try to hit here while we're out. Stay close to him.”

Bastion beeped at her, holding his thumb up.

“Thank you my friend.” Angela said as Bastion started walking after Bren.

Angela set her mind to the mission, now that he son was safe. She went to the locker in her lab, slipping on her dress, leggings and boots. She loved her job. She loved the satisfaction she got when she saved a life. She pulled her Valkyrie suit down tight over her shoulders, grabbing her Caduceus. 

Angela left the lab, grabbing a hair tie out of her drawer as she left, throwing her hair up and out of the way. It was almost time for the mission briefing so she headed to the meeting room. The others were heading in that direction as well.

“I'll never forget the way you looked when you flew down and saved me.” Genji said, walking up behind her.

Angela laughed, “Well I couldn't just leave you there to die now could I?”

“I know you couldn't but you also didn't have to do everything for me that you did.” He said solemnly.

“I thought you deserved to have a second chance to do some good.” Angela said with a smile.

“And I'm glad you've gotten your second chance at happiness. If anyone deserves it, you do.” He said sincerely.

They walked into the briefing room together, Jack grabbed her round the waist, pulling her to the side, “Wie hat Bren es dauern?” (How did Bren take it?)

Angela smiled at him, “Emily ihm versprochen, spiele und lange aurfleiben. Ihm geht es gut.” (Emily promised him games and to stay up late. He's fine.)

“Good.” Jack said, relieved.

They walked to the table, taking their seats as the last people filed in. Jack held Angela's hand under the table before standing.

“Alright team, we have some time sensitive info on Talon. Earlier we recorded an attempted hacking into Athena's systems. We managed to plant a bug in their program and backtrace it to what we had already suspected was a Talon hide out. It's only a matter of time before they know that we know where they are so we're doing to take advantage of this information.” Jack said, bringing up a map of the location in question, “This is an abandoned munitions factory in Evora. We're going to be hitting it from here and here. You'll be separated into 2 teams. Reinhart, Mei, Lucio, Zenyatta, Jesse, Torbjorn, and Hanzo, you'll be going in through the west side. Hanzo, there are several positions from which you can snipe the enemy.” Jack said, passing him a holopad.

“Winston, Ana, Genji, Lena, Angela and I will hit the building from the north east entrance. Ana, you'll set up on the building to the east. There are plenty of windows to shoot through. Make sure you want your surroundings. Amelie could be there, and as we know she's a dead shot. If you need healing, call it out. Lucio is quick and maneuverable so he can spread out his healing. Angela will provide intense healing if you are more seriously wounded.” Jack explained, every bit the Strike Commander he once was, “We know that the hacker is there. Know that any tech you have, she can disable it so be prepared. This is not a mission where we're taking prisoners. We are eliminating the threat of Talon here so shoot to kill.”

Everyone nodded, knowing this was serious.

“Now everyone, get your gear ready and loaded into the jets. Team 1 on one and Team 2 on the other. I want you all to triple check that you have EVERYTHING. Bastion, Fareeha and Hana are staying behind to protect the base. Hana you will be stationed in the Lab at all times, monitoring Athena for any more attempted hacks. Fareeha, you will monitor the area, call for back up if you need it. Bastion's job is to protect the non combatants if needed. Hana you will back up Fareeha in you mech in case of attack. The turrets and sentry bots will also assist. Everyone get you your assigned positions” Jack said, dismissing the meeting.

The other rose with a nod and set to work. Angela stood next to Jack, “Risk rating?” She asked him, professional for the mission.

“I'd give it a 7. It's going to be hard.” He replied, running a hand through his hair, “I hope the new kid is ready for this.”

“Er stand auf um Vishkar. Ich bin sicher, dass er alles wird gut.” She told him, trying to soothe him. (He stood up to Vishkar. I'm sure he'll be fine.)

“Holen sie ihre ausrüstung bereit.” He said, kissing her quickly. (Go get your gear ready.)

They left the meeting room, Angela heading to the medical lab to pack up her medical supplies. She grabbed her list off the wall, checking off each item as she put it in the bag. Double checking that she had every possible thing she could need.

“You need a hand with that?” Genji asked as she came out of her lab, backpack stuffed full.

“That would be amazing.” She said, shifting the heavy pack to him, “You have your gear ready?”

“I don't need much besides my throwing stars and swords.” He told her, “I'm sure you have much more to do than me.”

They walked into the hangar, the others busy loading their gear, Lena and Ana prepping the jets for take off. Reinhart was in full armor, crouching to get into the jet.

Angela and Genji loaded up into the second jet. Jack was already there, mask in place.

“I have all of my gear. I'll stow the bag in the back.” Angela told him, taking the bag from Genji and placing it in the locker at the back of the jet, “Is there anything else you need me to do, Commander?”

“Yes. Winston dug these out. Make sure everyone gets one. And here's the tablet to monitor everything on.” Jack said handing her a box and a tablet.

Angela nodded and began handing out the wrist bands to everyone. As they put them on, their vitals popped up on the tablet, allowing her to keep an eye on everyone. Once everyone had one, she went ot her seat in the jet, checking everyone's baselines. She noticed that Lucio's heart rate was elevated.

“Zenyatta do you copy?” Angela asked over the com.

“What do you need Dr. Zeigler?” He responded.

“Please check on Lucio. His heart rate is elevated.” She informed the Omnic.

“I will check on him and guide him through some calming breathing techniques.” Zenyatta said.

“Thank you.”

Angela sat back as far as her folded up wings would let her. They weren't the most practical to wear around but they were indispensable on the battle field. It was her job to stay with Winston for the most part as he was the biggest target, but she would fly around, treating anyone that was injured. It had been a long time since she'd been on a mission. 

Jack came and sat next to her as the ramp lifted and the first jet took off towards Portugal.

“Hopefully we'll get that hacker.” He said.

She really did hate the mask. It muffled his voice and she couldn't see him. She knew why he needed it but she wished that right now she could kiss him. She settled for taking his hand.

The jet took off with a small jolt, Ana steering it out of the hangar and into the evening sky.


	9. Chapter 9

The team stood with their backs against the wall of the warehouse. Reinhart was preparing to back in the doors with his hammer on Jack's call. Angela was behind the two of them, nanite boost trained on Jack.

“Alright. Team one, ready?” Jack asked through the com.

“Ready and in position.” Came Winston's reply.

“Three. Two. One.”

Reinhart brought his hammer down on the doors, exploding them inwards and rushing through, shield up. Jack started picking off the thugs that were raising their guns. Genji sprinted up the wall to the catwalks, sword in hand to deal with the guards up top while Mei put up an ice wall to block off the office to the left.

Angela heard the windows start to explode as Ana and Hanzo shot through them and into Talon thugs. A bullet caught Reinhart in the leg, Jack spinning and taking him out with his rockets. Angela flew to him, focusing him with her healing beam.

“How bad?” She asked quickly.

“Just muscle. It's almost gone now.” He replied, throwing up his shield and standing back up. 

Shots were ringing out all around them as more men pored out of the bunker below. She could hear a couple of bodies fall from the catwalks as Genji sliced through them with ease. Angela saw him take a grazing shot to the arm, moving her healing beam to him for a moment.

Genji launched himself forward into the man that had shot him, sword going straight through the bullet proof vest the man wore.

They moved towards the office Mei had blocked off, Winston jumping into the room and bashing his fists into several men. There was a set of stairs leading down to the basement. They figured that the hacker would be in the basement. Reaper might be there as well. The other team was headed to the other office, another set of stairs going down from there. 

Torbjorn's vitals flashed up on her pad. He'd been hit.

“Sniper!” Called Hanzo, “In pursuit!”

“Jack! I need to get to Torb. He's been hit!” Angela yelled over the din.

“I'll cover you. GO!” He called back, launching another trio of rockets and suppressing fire at the couple of men that were left.

Angela launched herself through the air, wings flaring to life as she boosted over the stacked crates to the other team. She saw Torbjorn laying behind a stack, turret firing next to him. He was bleeding from the shoulder, still using his left arm to hammer away at his machination.

“I've got you.” She said as she landed next to him, training her healing stream on him, “Doesn't look like it's hit anything vital.”

“Thank ya much.” He said as he got back to his feet, moving back to his group.

Angela ran around the back side of the crates, moving back towards her own team which was starting to head down the stairs. Suddenly a hand appeared out of no where, grabbing her around the mouth and pressing the barrel of a gun to her head.

“Don't even think about it, mija.” A thickly accented voice said into her ear, pulling her back away from her team and pulling her pistol out of it's holster, throwing it away.

“I don't want to kill you. We need you alive.” The woman said to her, “And I know what you're hiding at Gibraltar.”

Angela's blood ran cold. This was the hacker. She knew about Bren. And now Talon wanted her. She cooperated for the moment, watching for an opportunity to attempt to escape. She knew that Jack would miss her soon. He was always keeping an eye on her during missions and the gunfire was dying down. 

“Sniper has escaped.” Came Hanzo through her ear piece.

The woman pulled her further away. Angela was trying not to panic. She needed to get away but she didn't know what to do with the gun pointed to her head. They were heading towards the exit the other team had come in. She knew that Hanzo wasn't at his post anymore after going after Amelie. They'd planned everything.

“Any signs of the hacker?” Jack asked.

“I've found the computer. In the lower office.” Lucio said.

“You hear that? Your friends are on the other side of the building. They won't even notice when we sneak out the back.” The woman said, pressing her hand tighter over her mouth and pulling her backwards towards the exit through the boxes and crates.

They were at the door, Angela could hear the engine of a vehicle behind them.

“Eyes on Mercy?” Jack called, sounding worried through the headset.

The woman holding her paused as the rest of the team answered back, Angela could hear the door to the car open.

“Mercy!” Jack yelled through the warehouse.

“Mierda!” Said the woman, yanking Angela towards the car.

Angela took her opportunity, slamming her elbow back into her stomach. The woman grunted, loosening her grip. Angela twisted her body around, preparing to slam the heal of her hand into the woman's face, but she disappeared in front of her eyes.

“Soldier!” Angela yelled, backing away from the vehicle as it sped away.

She hear pounding boots as she began to cry. Jack scooped her up, holding her close.

“What happened?” He asked her before calling into the com, “Everyone back to the jets. Pull out.”

“There was a woman. It was the hacker. She grabbed me after I left Torb.” Angela said, trying to calm herself, “She knows about Bren.”

Jack set her back on her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as they hurried towards the jets. Everyone ran back in, Ana taking the helm.

“Jack you have to make sure he's ok.” Angela said. 

Jack nodded, heading to the cockpit. Angela sank into her seat, feeling the jet take off. She closed her eyes, trying to keep the fear from getting to her. What were they going to do now?

Jack came back after a minute, “Nothing has happened. Everyone's fine. What happened exactly?” He pressed.

Angela took a deep breath, “ She grabbed me from behind, like she just appeared there. She pressed her gun to my head and threw my pistol. She said she needed me. I don't know why. She could hear our comms as well. When you yelled for me she yanked me towards the car that was waiting for her and I elbowed her but when I turned to attack she just disappeared.” 

Jack pulled her into his lap, removing his mask. He looked deep in thought. Angela slipped her wings off, setting them on the floor before snuggling into Jack, exhaustion settling in. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jack nudged her awake as they landed back at Gibraltar. It was late now as Fareeha landed in front of them.

Angela looked a bit worse for wear and Fareeha saw it in her face, “What happened?”

Jack stepped up, “We found the hacker's computer but she'd already fried it. She tried to grab Angela too.”

“Allaena.” She hissed, “Briefing?” (Fuck)

Jack wrapped an arm around Angela, “Yeah. That's where we're headed now.”

Everyone filed off the jets towards the briefing room, settling in around the table, everyone visibly tired. Jack stood at the front, waiting for everyone to sit before talking.

“We were fed the information. They wanted us to come to the warehouse.” He said solemnly, “We don't' know why but it seems that Talon wants Angela.”

“What happened?” Asked Winston next to him.

“Angela went to heal Torbjorn. Once she was done with him she was trying to circle back to our team but a woman, presumably the hacker appeared out of thin air and grabbed her. She was trying to take Angela to a car that pulled up where Hanzo had left to pursue Amelie. They almost got her.”

“So we need to figure out why they are so intent on getting their hands on her.” Lena said, looking worried.

“I would guess for her research on resurrection.” Said Winston, “Reyes knew what she had been working on back in Overwatch.”

“So what are we going to do about it?” Angela asked, “They have a master hacker who can apparently turn invisible. She could break into here whenever she wanted to. How do we stop that?”

Everyone sat silently.

“I mean it's not like I can stay here. I'm needed with you on missions, and she knows that Bren is here and sounds like they won't hesitate to use him against us if they need to.” She continued, “Is there any sort of sensor that we could use that would detect her body modifications before she could hack it?”

Winston looked at her, “I'll see what I can do.”

“We'll need round the clock protection on Bren as well.” Jack added, “And Angela will have to stay with one of us at all times on missions.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Do we have another mission planned?” Genji asked.

“Not exactly. We've been hearing stirrings of Talon's interest in relics unearthed in Ilios. If they do strike, we'll be leaving on short notice.” Winston said.

“What do they want the relics for?” Asked Lena, looking confused.

“My guess would be to sell them on the black market or they already have a buyer in place.” Winston told her.

“Until further notice, I'm going to have the following people stationed here in case of a mission. Fareeha, we need you to watch the base from above. Zenyatta, we'll need you for healing if anyone get hurt in an attack. Torbjorn. You'll be setting up and maintaining defensive turrets around the base. You three with Bastion should be enough security while the rest of us go on missions.” Jack instructed.

The three of them nodded, all understanding what it would mean if they got ahold of the boy.

“Commander, if you and I stay with Angela during missions, we should be able to keep her safe while she works.” Offered Genji.

“That should be good. Are you okay with this Angela?” Jack asked her, looking concerned.

“That should be fine. I don't want any of you in any extra danger trying to protect me though.” She told them.

“Love, you're the most important part of our team.” Lena said, “Without you, there are many of us that wouldn't be here right now.”

They all murmured their agreement.

Tears started to come to Angela's eyes, “Thank you all.” She said sincerely, leaning in to Lena next to her.

“Does anyone have any questions?” Jack asked, looking around the room, everyone shaking their heads, “Alright, get some rest and be ready to go on a moments notice.”


	10. Chapter 10

Angela sat in her office, just staring at her computer screen, unable to work. She'd been stuck for several days, worry and fear keeping her from making progress.

“Hey Ange.” Said Emily as she popped her head into the office, “It's almost dinner. You want to call it quits?”

Angela sighed heavily, “Yeah. I'm not doing anyone any good sitting here.”

“Alright, love, lets go find that family of yours then.” Emily said brightly, looping an arm through Angela's.

They walked through the halls, Emily letting her go when Lena popped up. The pair were so adorable together. Angela was so happy for them. They seemed to enjoy every moment they had together.

Some days it felt like she and Jack only had a few minutes together each day, between his command with Winston and her work in the lab. She had finished testing the first of the zygotes and had logged the DNA's transformations. It had been as she had expected. Any child of theirs would be mostly Jack because of the nanites in her body boosting his already boosted abilities. It was a good thing ther weren't going to be having any more children.

She saw Jack leaving the mess hall with a tray full of plates, “Hey, I was just going to bring you some food.”

“Are we going to eat in our rooms then?” She asked, walking with him away from the mess.

“Yeah Bren's waiting there with Genji and Bastion.” Jack told her, “How'd it go today?”

“Nothing. I'm trying to figure out a way to enhance the radius of my resurrection power to be more than a single target, but I'm not sure where to start. My thoughts are running in circles and I'm becoming paranoid of this hacker.” She said with a sigh.

“I'll ask Winston to join you tomorrow. Maybe a fresh set of eyes will help.” He told her as they reached their door.

Angela opened the door for Jack, letting him into the room with the try of food as Bren squealed that they were back.

“Hey meine leibe, how was your day?” Angela asked lovingly.

“I'm teaching Bastion about the beginning of the space program!” He said happily. 

“Well daddy brought food, so let's put the book away and sit down to eat.” She told him.

“I'm going to head out then.” Said Genji heading to the door.

“Thank you for spending time with him.” Angela said with a smile.

Angela sat down at their little table, Bren digging into his lasagna with gusto.

“Anything new from Talon?” Angela asked Jack.

“Apparently they want Doomfist back. Numbani has put a force of OR15 defensive omnics into place to guard the city and the prison.” Jack told her. 

“Do you think that's enough?” She asked worriedly.

Jack sat back in his chair, “I'm not sure. They're fantastic peace keeping bots but against Doomfist if he ever got the gauntlet back...”

“Didn't Winston and Lena just keep them from stealing it from the museum?”

“Yes, but the gauntlet is set to be moved out in three days. I figure that they'll try and hit the convoy. We'll be on standby in Lagos during the move.” Jack explained.

“Have you figured out the team yet?” 

“We haven't finalized anything yet but I was thinking You, me, Genji, Winston, Jesse and Ana to Numbani. We still have the situation in Ilios as well so Reinhart, Mei, Hanzo, Lucio, and Lena to Greece to make sure they don't try anything there and we'll have Fareeha, Torb, Zenyatta and Hana here to watch home.” He said.

“That sounds like a good team.” Angela responded, “I know it'll be difficult trying to protect me if something does happen with Doomfist, but we can't risk him escaping.”

“Who's Doomfist?” Bren asked curiously.

“He was a very bad man who used to help lead Talon. Uncle Winston defeated him and now he's in jail.” Jack explained patiently.

“Uncle Winston is so cool!” Bren said happily, “I want to be a scientist just like him. I want to study the Slipstream and Chronal Disasociation.”

“Well that's quite the goal there, meine leibe.” Angela told him, “ You'll have to study hard if you want to do that.”

“I know momma. That's why I've been reading to Bastion about space flight.” He told them, “I figure if I start at the beginning, I'll have a better understanding of where it's going.”

“I think that's fantastic, Bren.” Jack said with pride.

Bren chattered on about space flight and 20th century jets while they finished their food. He seemed to be adjusting to life at base. He'd made friends with most of the other agents and Lena and Hana had been helping to get him used to them firing their pistols as they were the quietest of the weapons they had. He'd not had a panic attack in days and the nightmares had been becoming less and less frequent. Angela was very pleased with the progress he'd made. He was almost back to the point he'd been before the attack in Namibia. Bren felt safe here, surrounded by heroes, much like Fareeha had been. She had taken a particular liking to him.

Bren jumped down from his chair, “If I go get my jammies on, can I stay up to read more?” He asked his mother.

“Well, it's alright with me, but ask your father.” She told him with a smile.

“It's ok with me. Go get ready for bed, buddy.” Jack said, sending his son off to his room.

Angela gathered up the plates, setting them on the tray to take back in the morning, “I'm going to go and take a shower.” 

Jack flashed her a smile, “Alright, I'll get him into bed with Bastion.”

Angela closed the bathroom door behind her, looking at her face in the mirror. She was 37 now and still didn't look a day over 24. The nanites were keeping her from aging. She'd run the tests. They were repairing her telomeres, effectively halting the aging of her body.

Angela decided she was going to give a dose to Jack. She needed someone who was already aging to see how the nanites would work on them. She was wondering if it would simply halt the aging or if it would repair the aging that was already taking place.

But for right now, they had bigger problems to worry about. Namely Reaper. Angela had to figure out what Talon had done to her old friend and how to change him back or kill him, but in order to do that she needed DNA. Something she didn't have.

Angela sighed, climbing into the steaming shower. She was mentally tired from trying to figure everything out and from always watching over her shoulder for Talon. 

Angela tried to lose herself for a moment, massaging the shampoo into her hair. Showers and time with Jack. That's what she wanted most and right now she was determined to enjoy her shower. As she was rinsing the soap from her hair, she heard the bathroom door open and close again. 

And now she had both of her favorite things. This was turning into a great day.

Jack slid his hands up her sides, “I thought you could use some help scrubbing your back.” He said huskily into her ear.

Angela leaned back into him, enjoying the closeness. Jack smoothed his hands over her shoulders, reaching forward to grab the washcloth off the shelf. He started rubbing the rough cloth over her skin.

“I need to talk to you about something.” Angela half moaned.

“Oh yeah?” He said into her ear, nibbling on the lobe, “ What about?”

Angela turned to face him, pressing in close, “I want to give you some of the experimental nanites I used on myself. I need to see how they effect you for my research.” She said breathily, Jack moving the washcloth across her breasts.

“And what would these nanites do to me, exactly?” He asked, kissing her neck and letting the washcloth trail down her stomach.

Angela gasped as he rubbed over her core, “I need to see if...” She lost her train of thought, “I need to see how they affect you. Ngh!”

Angela's knees gave out, Jack catching her around the waist as she dropped. Jack let the washcloth fall to the floor as he slipped a finger between her folds.

Angela placed her hands on his chest, trying to steady herself before continuing, “The nanites... They... hah... They have basically... stopped the aging process... ngh... on the... DNA level.” She told him between moans and gasps.

“Is that your secret then?” He asked, turning her so that she could lean her hands against the shower wall, “Is that how you stay so beautiful my love?”

Angela spread her palms against the tile, head dropping as the water pounded down on the expanse of her back. Jack pushed back through her folds, teasing her clit. He loved seeing her like this, legs spread apart, inviting him to do anything he wanted to her. He slid two fingers into her heat, stroking her with firm, gentle motions. He slowly slid his free hand over her hip, along her waist and teased his finger tips across the swell of her breasts. Her breath was coming in pants now, body lost in a sea of sensations. 

“Mmh, Jack please.” She called, wanting to feel more of him.

Jack smirked, slowly dragging his fingers out of her and between her ass cheeks, enjoying the was she shivered against him. He grasped his cock, moving closer. He pressed his tip into her core, Angela pressing back against him, taking him deeper. Jack grasped her hips, pulling her even closer until he filled her completely. Jack splayed his fingers over her ass, gripping her hips and beginning to thrust into her. Angela pressed back into every thrust, matching him until they were both lost in a the sensations and steam. 

She didn't know how she kept her feet under her, every time he hit that spot inside of her she wanted to collapse.

More and more. Faster and faster. 

Angela felt the tension building in her belly, knowing she was close to delicious release, but she didn't' want it to be over yet. She stood, Jack's cock pulling out of her as she did. She turned to face her lover, cheeks tinged with passion.

Jack saw the look in her eyes and grabbed her by the waist, her legs wrapping around his hips as he pushed her back into the tile. Her hands held onto him, nails digging into his shoulders as he started to thrust into her again, her walls fluttering and spasming around him.

Angela let her head fall back to the tile as Jack took a nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue sending shocks of pleasure through her body. She knew she was close, clenching herself around his cock to try and take him over the edge with her.

Jack felt her growing tighter around him, drawing his orgasm from him with a grunt just as she let out a cry of pleasure. Her whole body was trembling as he pushed into her, emptying himself deep inside her. Jack pressed his forehead to hers as she let her trembling legs return to the floor of the shower.

“I love you so much, Angela.” He whispered to her, “I'll do whatever you need me to.”

Angela panted, trying to piece together her thoughts, “Thank you Jack. Du bist das beste was mir je passiert ist.” (You're the best thing that ever happened to me.)

Jack reached past her to turn off the water that was losing heat. Angela grabbed the towels she'd set out, handing one to Jack before stepping out of the tub.

“Do you want to come with me to the lab then?” She asked, rubbing her legs dry.

Jack rubbed his silver hair mostly dry, “Yeah.”

Angela nodded, pulling on her underwear and cotton pajamas. She quickly ran a brush through her hair, pulling it out of her face as Jack dressed. They walked out of the bathroom, Angela peeking in on Bren before she took Jack's hand. They walked through the halls, mostly quiet now.

“I'll have to put in an IV. The nanites are suspended in saline.” Angela explained.

Jack nodded, “What does it feel like when they work?”

“Well I didn't really feel anything but a bit better than I had before, but I'm not sure with you. I was 29 when I started using them so I didn't have any signs of aging. It may be different for you as you have not only aging, but significant scarring as well.”

“And it will stop my aging?” He asked, curious.

“It seems it should, if it doesn't reverse the aging you already have. I'm not sure.” Angela admitted, “Either way it will be beneficial.”

Angela went into her office as Jack sat himself on the exam table, gathering the IV supplies.

“I'll take your vitals as a baseline to compare to as we start the nanite drip.” She said, pulling out her blood pressure cuff.

Jack laid back on the table, letting Angela do her work, taking his vitals and inserting the IV into his arm.

“Ich werde den tropf jetzt starten.” She told him. (I'm going to start the drip now)

Jack felt the IV start, coldness entering his vein. He tried to focus on the feelings so he could tell Angela what she needed to know. 

“I can feel the cold of the IV but nothing else yet.” He said.

“It shouldn't take long for the nanites to spread throughout your body and start repairing.” Angela explained.

He closed his eye, waiting. Then he started to feel a pressure building, starting at the IV site.

“There's a pressure in my arm. It's spreading from the IV.” Jack said, “I can feel it moving up my arm.”

Angela slapped the blood pressure cuff back on his free arm. It read normal, heart rate slightly elevated.

“It the pressure bad?” She asked, taking notes.

“It's uncomfortable.” He told her, brows furrowing, “My skin is tingling as well.”

“I believe that it's the nanites working on your cells. I'm not sure how long it will last but with you're super soldier serum I don't think it will be long.”

The pressure was subsiding after a few minutes at the IV.

“It's starting to fade.” Jack growled.

Angela started taking pictures, planning to log any changes she saw, “That's good.” She told him, “I'm going to take these pictures and then retake your vitals again.”

Angela wrote everything down, removing the IV, “I think there is some reduction in the appearance of age in your skin. We'll have to watch over the next few weeks.”

“The pressure and tingling are mostly gone. I feel pretty spry at the moment.” Jack said, flexing his arms, “This seems to be working well.”

Angela nodded, “I'll check your vitals twice a day and take pictures to compare.”

Jack snatched her wrist as she was explaining, “I know my love. Medical stuff. Now let's go to bed. We'll be busy with briefings tomorrow.” He told her, pulling her in close for a kiss.

Angela relaxed into his arms, “Ok. Bed then.”


	11. Chapter 11

It was difficult to get a good night's sleep with a 6 year old laying across your chest. He'd had another nightmare and Jack had brought him into their bed. He'd fallen back to sleep rather quickly and throughout the night had wiggled his way on top of her. Jack was still softly snoring next to her and the clock on her bedside table read 4:57.

Still early.

Angela huffed, knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep. She carefully slipped Bren onto the bed, wiggling out of the covers and free of the tangle of sheets and bodies. She stood, stretching the stiffness from her muscles as she walked to the bathroom. 

It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, the morning starting to peek over the waters. Angela dressed in her white dress and leggings, looking to her boys in the bed before leaving the room. 

Angela enjoyed the quiet moments that were few and far between at Overwatch. Angela walked through the empty halls. She decided she wanted to go and watch the sunrise before all the craziness started. Today was the mission in Numbani. They were moving the Doomfist gauntlet from the museum. It was a prime target for Talon.

Angela breathed the crisp morning air deep into her chest, enjoying the breeze as she walked the cliffs. Pink and orange were staining the sky even brighter as the world turned to face the sun. The Mediterranean was beautiful in the morning, blue waters sparkling with the morning light as the fishermen set out in their boats. 

She looked back over her shoulder. The base was barely visible unless you were on the water. If you walked even a small ways away it melded into the cliffs. Angela knew she should stay at the base, but with everything going on and all the stress and pressure she just needed a walk and some quiet to clear her head for the mission.

Besides, everyone else was still asleep. They wouldn't even miss her. 

It had been far too long since she'd been able to relax and decompress. She watched as the sun finally peeked over the horizon, bathing her in a warm glow, the breeze blowing the wisps of her hair from her face. These were the kind of sights that restored her faith in beauty in the world that was filled with pain and darkness. It was peaceful. The gulls were calling in the distance, the sounds of the men on the docks. In moments like these she could almost pretend she lived a normal life. 

“Fancy meeting you out here, mija.” A familiar voice said, closer that was comfortable.

Angela spun around, reaching to her lower back, realizing she hadn't put on her holster and was unarmed. The hacker stood in front of her, black and purple hair blowing out of place as she smirked, knowing she'd already won without a fight.

“You make it too easy.” The woman said, gun in hand, circling Angela, “I was only here today to make sure that you all left to guard the Doomfist, but look at what I get instead. Reaper will be pleased to see you Dr. Ziegler.”

Angela tensed as the woman poked the small of her back with the machine pistol she carried. There wasn't a way out of this that she could see. Angela internally cursed at herself for being so stupid. She'd known that this hacker could become invisible. She'd known that Talon was after her. And she'd know that there was a chance that Talon would try to attack them today. How could she have been so wreckless? Angela walked down a path towards a nitch in the cliffs, knowing she'd just botched the missions in one stupid move. Talon was going to use her against her friends, her family.

“Onto the transport.” The woman ordered, shoving Angela with the barrel of the gun as they dropped down the path to the Talon ship that was waiting.

Amelie stepped into the doorway, “How did you get your hands on her, Sombra?” She hissed, grabbing Angela's wrists and immediately restraining her.

“I didn't break cover if that's what you're worried about.” Sombra replied with a scowl, “The brilliant doctor here decided to go for a morning walk unarmed. Are you sure she's as smart as you say she is?”

Amelie tied the rope around Angela's wrists and waist before tying her to one of the many pipes, “It's so nice to see you again, Dr. Ziegler.” She said with fake sincerity, “Take us back to Varna!”

Angela glared at the woman she's known almost a decade ago. Amelie had been so sweet and demure back then, before Talon had gotten ahold of her. Now she was little more than a tool.

“I think it's safe to say that there won't be any Overwatch missions in Numbani today.” Sombra said with a smirk, looking at Angela.

Amelie nodded in agreement, picking up her com, “Reaper are you there?”

The jet lifted off, heading east if she could judge by the sun through the windows. Angela prayed that Jack wouldn't do anything wreckless.

“We're leaving Gibraltar. Unexpected company. We have Dr. Ziegler.” Amelie said to her partner.

“Smile, mija!” Sombra said to her left.

She was holding her phone, taking a picture of her, “I'm going to send a little love note to your soldier for you. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jack awoke in a tangle of sheets, Bren pressed into his side. He ran a hand over his son's shoulder. He'd had another nightmare last night. Jack had gone into his room and calmed him, letting his lover rest. He felt well rested this morning. He suspected the nanites were working their magic.

He reached across the bed, feeling the emptiness where Angela should have been. He looked to the clock. It wasn't even six yet. She must have woken up quite early, he thought.

He stood from the bed, walking to the bathroom to relieve himself. Today was their mission to Numbani. He needed to be in top form. If Talon got their hand's on the Doomfist it would make their lives so much more complicated.

Jack looked in the mirror. He thought that maybe he could see some difference there. Maybe these nanites would undo the ravages of time. If he could be the young man he'd once been, he could be more useful to the world.

Jack sighed, pulling off his pajama pants and pulling a set of fatigues and a tank top from his drawers, dressing for the mission ahead. 

“Hey Bastion?” Jack called towards Bren's room.

The omnic poked his head through the door.

“Did you see Angela leave?” He asked.

Bastion brought up his holopad, “She left almost an hour ago.”

“Thanks. Could you wait here with Bren?” Jack asked, grabbing his jacket and rifle.

“Yes. I will take him to Miss Emily when he wakes.” The omnic told him.

Jack nodded, walking out the door and towards Angela's lab, figuring she'd gone there to prep for the mission. She always double and triple checked her supplies. It was a fear of hers that she would need some item and she wouldn't have it and someone would be lost because of her.

“Hey Lena.” He called, seeing the pilot walk from her room.

“Hey Jack.” She said with a yawn, “Breakfast?”

“No I'm headed to the lab. Angela woke before me and I'm going to make sure she doesn't need help with medical prep.” Jack told her, “Bastion is going to bring Bren to Emily once he's awake. He had another nightmare last night.”

“Alright. I'll let her know when I bring her food.” Lena said with a smile, zipping off.

Jack turned the corner to the lab, brow furrowing when he saw the lights were off. He opened the doors. Everything was as she'd left it. It didn't look like she'd been in yet today. Obviously she wasn't here. Jack figured that maybe she'd gone to the mess hall to grab a bite to eat. Jack turned back walking back around the corner, nearly bumping into Winston.

“Hey Winston.” Jack said, walking around him towards the mess.

“Hey is Angela in the clinic?” Winston asked.

Jack stopped, “No. I figured she must have gone to get some food before coming in. She left before I was awake.”

Winston looked confused, “I just came from the mess. She wasn't there.”

A zing a paranoia ran through Jack, “Athena. Location of Dr. Ziegler.”

“Dr. Ziegler is not currently in Watchpoint Gibraltar, or any other Overwatch facilities.” Athena responded coolly.

“When did she leave the base?” Jack demanded harshly, fear coursing through him.

“Dr. Ziegler left the base walking east along the cliffs at 5:13am.” Athena said.

Winson hit his com button on his armor, “All agents. Dr. Ziegler's whereabouts are unknown. Locate immediately.” He said, his voice echoing over the PA system.

Jack slung his rifle off of his shoulder, sprinting through the halls towards the cliffs, dread pooling in his stomach, making him nauseous.

She couldn't have just disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12

Angela rested her head on her knees, arms and shoulders aching from being tied for so long. They'd been flying for almost 4 hours now and Angela felt hopeless. How was Jack going to find her? He'd have no leads. He must be frantic by now. Angela had been fighting back tears. Tears of fear. Tears of self pity. Tears of sadness. Most of all tears of anger towards herself. Her momentary lapse could mean the death of those closest to her. 

The jet was descending now, landing wherever Amelie had taken her. Sombra unhooked her harness, walking towards Angela. She flipped open a knife and cut the cords around the pipe.

“We're here. I do hope you like it here.” She said, a sinister edge to her voice.

Sombra lifted Angela to her feet, leading her off the ship and into the Talon base. There were guards at the doors into the main base. Sombra cut the cords off of Angela, taking a pair of cuffs from one of the guards and cuffing her wrists.

“Once Reaper gets Akande back this afternoon, they'll be on their way here.” Sombra told her, tormenting her with what was to come, “Reaper has wanted you for quite awhile now. I'm sure he has something special planned.”

Angela was terrified. Long ago, shortly after she'd joined Overwatch, and at the beginning of her relationship with Jack, Gabriel had been pursuing her, rather persistently. It was part of the reason for the rift between Gabriel and Jack. Gabriel was angry. Jack had been promoted to Strike Commander. He'd become the face of Overwatch. And he'd gotten the girl. Now she was at his mercy. Ha... His Mercy.

Angela was dragged down some stairs. Sombra led her to the line of cells they kept just in case. 

“You'll be staying here. Do me a favor a wait quietly.” She said, shoving Angela into the cell.

Angela wasn't expecting the shove and stumbled before falling to the cold concrete floor. The door slid shut, lock clicking into place, trapping her in the dark cell. Angela pulled herself up off the floor, surveying the room for any weaknesses. There was a thin mat to one side to sleep on, a sink and a toilet. The door was steel plate with a small wired glass window.

It was bare and cold.

Angela slid down the wall to the mat, drawing her knees up to her chest, tears forcing their way out. She let out a sob, the flood gates opening. She sobbed, chest heaving with every breath. She'd fucked things up royally. Jack would be terrified right now. He'd be desperate to find her. He'd be wreckless in getting her back. He'd get himself killed trying to get in here, if he could even find where she was in the first place.

And there was the issue that Talon was headed to Numbani. Her friends would have canceled the mission to protect the Doomfist to try and find here. Akande was going to escape and they'd get the Doomfist. Talon was going to be even more deadly now.

And Reaper would be there tonight. God knows what he had planned but she was sure she wasn't going to like it. They would probably try to corrupt her the way they had with Amelie. She wasn't sure of the process they used to do it, but she was somewhat certain that the nanites in her body would fight it, but they may be able to turn her against her family.

And it was all because of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jack sat, foot tapping impatiently, staring at Athena's screens in Winston's lab. Athena was running scans on European radars that may have picked up a craft that wasn't labeled or communicating. They'd had a couple of blips come up from Rome's radar and Sophia's radar but that only gave them a vague area to start. Jack needed something more. He needed to know where she was.

Lena was waiting on the jet, ready to take off as soon as they had information. Everyone was frantic to find Angela. 

They hadn't told Bren yet. He was playing with Emily and Bastion. Jack didn't want to worry him or to make his stress worse, but he'd have to tell him if they didn't get a hit soon. 

“I can not find any more unidentified radar pings, Commander Morrison. Is there anything else you'd like me to do?” Athena said.

Jack stood up so fast he knocked over the chair, pacing around the room. What would they do? What else could they do to find her? What was Talon's plan for Angela? What else could he do?

“Can you access the surveillance cameras around Bulgaria? If you can, run facial recognition. The last hit was in Sofia so let's start there.” Winton said, trying to help.

“Running facial recognition now.” Athena said, faces beginning to flash across her screen.

“That's a good idea.” Jack said, standing the chair back up, “If we can get a hit we'll have a place to start.”

“Jack.” Winston said sounding worried, “Facial recognition will take awhile. You should get something to eat.”

Jack stopped, looking at his friend, the worry etched into his face, “ Yeah. You'll let me know when anything comes up?”

“Of course. We'll be ready to go as soon as we get a hit.” Winston assured him.

Jack sighed, running a hand through his silver hair, “Alright. I'm going to grab a bite and head over to the training grounds. Maybe that'll help clear my head.”

Winston nodded, watching his friend leave. He popped open a fresh jar of peanut butter, watching the faces flash by on Athena's screen. It was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Angela heard heavy boot steps coming down the metal stairs. She curled tighter into the corner, hands still cuffed. She knew it had been hours, but there was no way to tell how long in the darkness that pressed in around her. 

The door to her cell slid open with a clunk, the dim bulb in the ceiling coming on as it did. There stood Gabriel, arms crossed over his chest. He walked into the cell, approaching the beautiful woman cowering in the corner. Akande stepped in behind him, his presence looming even larger than Gabriel's.

“What a gift I have for my return.” Akande said, a wicked smile on his face, “The great Dr. Angela Ziegler.”

Gabriel growled, grabbing Angela by the cuffs and forcing her to stand with a pained cry.

“Tell me doctor, have you managed to master your little resurrection trick yet?” Akande asked.

Angela stayed silent, glaring at the african man. That's what they wanted. They wanted her tech. Her know how to make their soldiers better. She would never give it to them.

“Looks like she doesn't want to talk.” Gabriel said with a sinister laugh, “Maybe I can loosen her tongue a bit.”

Akande laughed, knowing how Gabriel felt about the woman, “Go ahead. Be sure to tell me what you find out when you're done.” He said, leaving the cell.

Angela's eyes went wide with fear, panic setting in. She began to thrash her body around, trying to escape Gabriel's grasp. He growled, lifting the petite woman's hands over her head, the cuffs biting into her wrists. She lifted her feet off the ground, kicking at his metal plated chest.

“You can struggle all you want, Angel.” He said batting her feet away with his metal claws, “It's not going to save you. Might as well enjoy it.”

He lifted her up by the cuffs, hooking them into a hook in the wall she hadn't seen in the darkness.

“No no no no no no no.” Angela said, knowing what was coming.

Gabriel laughed, pulling off his over coat and throwing it to the side.

“You are still just as beautiful as the first day I saw you Angel.” He said, removing his utility belt and tossing it onto his coat, “I could have made you happy.”

“Gabriel, please, I'm sorry I couldn't be with you. I was already in love. You don't have to do this. Please Gabriel.” Angela pleaded frantically.

Gabriel laughed again, reaching for her, running the back of his claws over her cheek, “Of course you were, sweet Angel, who could resist the perfect Jack Morrison, Hero of the World?”

His hand slid down her cheek and neck, hooking his metal finger tips into the front of her white dress, “Well I guess better late than never.” He whispered into her ear, ripping the front of her dress all the way down to the hem. 

Angela whimpered, turning her face away, her chest now covered only by her bra.

Gabriel pulled back, reaching up and sliding his mask away from his face. Angela gasped at what was revealed. Gabriel's face was scarred like Jack's, but his eyes were dark and black, a greyish tinge to his skin. He looked like a corpse walking and talking. What had happened to him?

He reached a clawed hand up to her neck, tilting her head back, exposing her graceful neck to his lips. Angela whimpered again as he kissed and nipped down her neck, his claws pressing into her cheeks to keep her still. He hooked his other hand under her demure white bra, claws scraping against her tender breasts, ripping her bra from her body with a snap.

“Please.” She begged, tears streaming down her cheeks and onto his metal gauntlets.

With a smile he dipped his head down to her chest, sucking a nipple into his mouth, biting it when she tried to jerk away. He smoothed his tongue over the bite marks, sucking hard enough to leave a bruise on top of the teeth rakes.

Angela sobbed, beginning to retreat into her own mind to escape reality. She though of Jack, what he would do if he saw what was happening. He'd smash Gabriel's face in. He's kill his old friend. Angela thought of her friends. She thought of her son. She hoped they were all safe. She hoped they'd never fall into Talon's hands. She wished she was with them. She wished she was in Jack's protective arms. She wished she'd stayed in bed with her boys. 

Gabriel saw that her eyes were starting to glaze over and it made him snarl with anger. He wanted her there, with him. He bit down on her neck, relishing the scream he drew from her lips. His hands went to her leggings, pulling them from her body with one swift movement, taking her underwear with them, baring her to him.

“You are breathtaking, Angel. At least try to enjoy this with me.” He told her, letting one of his gloves fall to the floor.

He grabbed one of her thighs, pulling it to the side and holding it against the wall with his hip, fingers trailing over her core. He pressed 2 fingers into her, her body clenching to try and keep the invading finger out. Sex had never been painful for her, Jack always gentle and loving. This was rough and painful, feeling her tender flesh give under the assault. Angela couldn't help the cries that poured from her, pain overwhelming her as she sobbed.

Gabriel undid his pants, letting his cock free from the confines of his underwear, “I've dreamed about doing this for a long time.” He whispered to her, pressing his tip between her folds, “Do tell if I compare to the great Jack Morrison.”

He shoved himself into her, tearing her as he went. He grabbed her hips, pounding away at her, blood mixing with her body's natural secretions, red streaks running down her thighs.

Angela cried and cried, each thrust more painful than the last, each tear growing wider. It was agony and he seemed to enjoy it. She didn't know how much more she could take, the pain seemed even worse than the multiple gunshots she had received working with Overwatch. With a final scream Angela's body went limp, head lolling forward. 

Gabriel continued thrusting into the boneless woman until he reached his climax. He pulled out of her, leaving her hanging by her wrists on the wall. 

“Better lay than I'd imagined.” He told her unconscious form, grabbing his discarded clothes and dressing himself.

He walked out of the cell, leaving the door open so anyone could see her bare and abused body.


	13. Chapter 13

Jack had a sheen of sweat over his face, breathing heavily as the last of the target bots fell. He'd been at it since he'd left Winston, blasting down round after round of target bots. It had been hours. He finally slung his rifle over his shoulder, grabbing a water bottle and heading back to the computer lab. 

“Anything yet?” Jack growled into his com.

“Nothing yet. We're working out from the point where Sophia's radar lost the jet.” Winston replied.

Jack walked through the hangar, most of the team there, waiting to hear something, anything they could work with.

“Jack I need you.” Came Emily over the com, “Bren's asking questions.”

“Shit.” He muttered under his breath, turning to walk towards the rooms. Bren was a smart kid. Of course he'd realized something was wrong. It was approaching dinner time and neither he nor his mother had come to get him.

He stopped outside Emily's door, dreading what he had to do.

He opened the door, Bren calling to him and running into his arms. 

“Daddy. What's wrong? I know something's wrong!” He said, worry marring his little face.

“Sweetheart. Mom's missing. She left early this morning and no one has seen hers.” He told his son, seeing the tears welling in his little blue eyes as he did, “We're doing everything we can to find her. We'll get her back.” 

Jack pulled his now sobbing son close, holding him as he cried for his mother. Jack just held his son to his chest, rubbing circles on his back to try and calm him.

“I'm so sorry, Bren.” Jack said running a hand over his hair, “I need you to stay here with Emily and Bastion so that I can find mommy.”

Bren nodded, sniffing sadly, “Please bring her home daddy.”

“I will.” Jack said determinedly, locking eyes with Emily as Bren crawled into her lap before he turned, leaving the room.

“Jack we have a hit!” Came Winston's excited voice over the coms, “Meet me in the hangar. I'll bring the information with me.”

Jack broke into a sprint, “Fareeha, Torbjorn and Zenyatta. You stay here to guard the base. Everyone else, load up.”

Jack could feel the difference the nanites had made. He felt youthful again and he planned to use it to his advantage.

Jack slid to a stop in the jet, everyone else already loaded up and waiting, “Where is she?” He demanded of Winston who was standing at the holo table.

“We got a hit off a street cam in Varna, Bulgaria. We've documented some Talon sightings there. That's where they've taken her.” Winston told the team, pulling up the image of Angela with Amelie and another woman. 

Angela looked terrified.

It broke Jack's heart to see her like that. His hands tightened on the edge of the table, “Do we have any other information to go on?”

“Unfortunately not about Varna, no. But we do have reports coming in that Akande has escaped and has the Doomfist. He attacked the Numbani airport to get it. Completely destroyed their force of OR15's.”

Jack growled, slamming his fist into the table. He turned, walking up to the cockpit as Lena maneuvered the jet out the bay doors. They had to figure out what they were up against. They couldn't go running in there blind. Someone would get killed.

He turned back to the team, “We'll need to gather some intel on this Talon location. Ana. We'll need you to scout out the area. You have the best vision. The rest of us will set up around the area and watch any action we see. Does anyone speak Bulgarian?”

No one spoke.

“Well we'll have to make due. Reinhart, you'll need to go to their city hall and try to get any records on the building that you can. If we could get blue prints, that would be fantastic.” Jack commanded, “We can't just rush in there blind.”

The rest of them nodded. They all knew that every minute that Angela was with them was another minute of some torture. Jack wondered if they were trying to turn her the way they had Amelie. What would happen if they did? Jack knew what had happened between Gerard and Amelie. Would they twist Angela's mind into killing him? He knew he'd never be able to lift a finger against Angela, even if she was about to kill him.

There was no good options. 

“Any questions?” He asked the group.

Hana looked to him with wide, scared eyes, “Do we know why they took Dr. Zeigler?”

Jack sighed, “We're not certain, but I'd think that they either want to get to me, or they want to try and twist her like they did with Amelie. Our job is to make sure that doesn't happen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Angela awoke with a sob of pain. Everything hurt. Her shoulders most of all, screaming under the pressure of hanging by her wrists for so long. Everything came flooding back to her. She wanted to curl into the corner, to hide herself from the world, but she couldn't do more than shift around in her shackles. She could feel the pain between her legs, burning when she moved. 

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs again. They didn't sound like Gabriel's boots but Angela didn't care as a fresh sob escaped her, unable to cover her body as a man came into her cell, face covered in a Talon mask. He didn't say anything to her, moving swiftly, ignoring her sobs. He grabbed her arms and lifted her from the hook. Angela let out a cry of pain as her shoulders moved from where they had been stuck, searing pain blinding her, but the man didn't seem to even notice. He placed her on her feet and grasped the chain between her cuffs and started dragging her behind him, setting a rather brisk pace.

“Please.” She sobbed, “Please slow down.”

The man ignored her, pulling her up the stairs. Angela stumbled from the pain, both in her shoulders and between her legs, knees slamming into the metal stairs. She could feel the blood start tu run down her legs from where the metal edge had bit into her skin. The man paused, lifter her back to her feet and kept walking. They went through the locked door at the top of the stairs, pulling her into the main part of the Talon base, blood dripping behind her. There were Talon agents walking around, all of them staring at her broken, exposed body. Angela stared at the floor, sobs wracking her body. The man just dragged her on, pulling her through corridors until she recognized the sterile smell of a medical clinic. 

Angela's stomach dropped. They were going to try. They were going to attempt to twist her like they had Amelie. Angela panicked as the man pulled her into a room, a bed in the center with restraints. Angela thrashed, pulling against the man's grip on the cuffs, eyes wild with fear.

The man didn't make a sound, yanking her in and lifting her petite body and practically slamming her onto the table. A woman dressed in a nurses attire came into the room, quickly securing padded leather straps around Angela's ankles as the man held her down.

Animalistic shrieks were pouring from her lips as Angela fought against the strong hands that held her. She couldn't let them do this. She couldn't kill Jack. She couldn't kill Bren. She couldn't betray Overwatch.

She couldn't.

The man pinned down her arms, pulling out a key to release the cuffs. The nurse attended to the other straps, effectively ending any hope that Angela had of escape. The man left the room, his job done.

“Don't fight. I don't want to mess up this IV.” The nurse said sternly.

She pulled out a sealed IV needle, swiping alcohol over Angela's had and moving in to place the needle into vein.

Angela could do nothing to stop her as the needle slid into her. Angela felt the cold as the meds were hooked up to the IV, flowing into her blood. The medication pulled at her consciousness.

“Jack, please.” Angela slurred, falling into the haze of forced unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jack paced the length of the filthy alley for the hundredth time. They were waiting for information from Ana, who was perched on the roof, carefully watching the Talon base. They'd been there for hours and Jack paced.

Reinhart had come back rather quickly with some basic blue prints and other assorted information he'd been able to gather. So they had the rough layout of the bunker below and Winston was poring over it to try and figure out the best point entry.

“Their changing shifts.” Came Ana's voice through the coms, “I think it would be best to hit them hard at nightfall.”

Jack stopped his pacing, “that gives us three and a half hours to prepare.” He replied.

“I'm picking up some com chatter on my frequency scanner.” Hana piped up, “They're preparing a jet for take off.”

Jack froze. Were they moving her? Did they know that they were here? That they were watching?

“Tell me what they're saying.” Jack demanded, harsher than he meant.

“Two passengers already on board the craft. Opening the bay doors. Good luck in Uzbekistan Amelie and it's good to have you back Akande.” Hana parroted to him as he watched the black jet lift off and fly off eastwards.

Jack let out a huge sigh of relief, “This gives us a huge advantage.” He told the team, “We should only have Reaper and the hacker on site. We shouldn't have any difficulty with the random thugs.” 

“Agreed.” Said Ana, “Three and a half hours.”

Jack walked back to their jet's concealed position, knowing that each minute she was stuck in that place was another minute they could be turning her against them. Jack sat in one of the pilot seats, elbows on his knees, trying not to let his imaginings get away with him. Jack took a deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to refocus his mind on the insane mission they were about to undertake.


	14. Chapter 14

“Alright. We're going to punch in through the side entrance.” Winston said, taking over as Jack paced, “Expect heavy fire. Ana and Lucio. You are our only healers so I need you on your a game. We don't have Angela to fall back on.”

The team nodded, all of them knowing that they might lose someone with out Angela.

“Is everyone ready?” Jack called, standing at the door of the jet.

“Yes Sir!” They called, everyone moving out.

They rushed towards their entry point, Winston leaping forward and slamming into the guards at the door. They knew that Talon had cameras everywhere and they already knew the team was there. They just hoped that Reaper wouldn't do anything drastic. Reinhart charged in, breaking down the steel doors with ease.

Jack ran in with determination. It had been over 24 hours since Talon had taken Angela. She was somewhere in this building, and he was going to get her back. He fired at everything, bullets striking Talon guards left and right. He felt the sting of a bullet grazing his arm from above, followed by one of Ana's healing bullets. As the flesh of his bicep knit back together he fired at the man on the catwalk, dropping him. 

The teams split off to delve deeper into the base. Jack lead Ana, Reinhart, Lena and Genji down a hallway towards what appeared to be smaller rooms. Methodically they worked through every room. They appeared to be the dorms, Talon personnel out of uniform were found and none of them were armed, making for quick work.

At the end of the hall they turned, rolling around the corner and picking off the guards that were coming at them.

Jack was worried that they hadn't encountered any real resistance from major players yet, only low level guards. He pressed on into the facility, rooms switching from dorms to medical bays. Motioning over his shoulder, Jack told Lena and Genji to sweep the rooms to the right while he and Ana took the left and Rein blocked the hall.

Jack quickly cleared down their side of the hall, the medical rooms empty thus far. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors with a red light on above the door. Once they were done with all the rooms, he motioned them all together.

“This looks like a surgical bay. Since the lights on, there should be people inside. Be careful.” Jack told his team, before moving to open the doors with the muzzle of his rifle.

The antechamber was empty leaving the surgical bay doors beyond. Jack motioned Genji forward with him to the windows set into the doors, peeking in.

What he saw threw the soldier into a blind rage. Jack blasted his way through the double doors, charging straight at doctor standing over Angela, smashing into her just as she turned to see the source of the commotion. 

The rest quickly followed Jack into the room, Ana running to Angela's side, “Moira, what have you done to her!” She yelled over the din.

Jack didn't pause to let her answer, aiming to smash Moira in the face with the butt of his rifle. She dodged out of the way just in time, Jack's rifle smashing into the shelves full of sterile packages.

And quickly worked to remove the IV in Angela's hand, stopping the flow of violet liquid into her friend. She couldn't see any visible signs of surgical entry so she focused on removing the anesthetic gasses and other monitors so Angela could be moved as soon as possible.

Moira used her power packs to materialize a ball of writhing purple and black energy and launching it at Jack as she rolled away, dodging Genji's shuriken. The orb caught Jack in the shoulder, rage blinding him to the danger. The foul concoction seeped through his jacket and into his body, draining the inhuman strength from his limbs as he continued to swing at the formerly esteemed doctor. 

Genji saw the commander flagging under the effects of Moira's poison, jumping in to engage the doctor as Jack fell. He neatly dodged all of her attacks, drawing his sword and stopping the doctor in her tracks by holding the honed blade to her neck. Moira froze as Genji grabbed her hands to restrain her.

Ana turned to her former colleague, “Tell me what was in the IV.” She demanded, pocketing the IV bag for Winston.

Moira smiled, “It doesn't matter. What's done is done.” She sneered.

Jack groaned on the floor, drawing Ana's attention, causing her to take charge of the situation, “Genji, restrain the good doctor and escort her to the ship, Reinhardt, grab Jack and I'll get Ange. We need to get out of here.” She called out.

Pulling up her comm link, she said, “Tracer, D.Va, Lucio, Winston. We need back up asap. On route to the extraction point. We have Mercy.”

“Rodger.” Came Winston's reply.

“Alright let's move.” Ana called out, noticing Genji had wrapped Moira's wrists with medical tape to restrain her while they moved.


	15. Chapter 15

Reinhardt led the way, Jack over one arm and his shield up on the other. Genji was behind him, Moira obstinately plodding along in front of him. Ana brought up the back, carrying Angela as gently as she could, keeping her good eye on their backs. The moved down the hall as quickly as they could, reaching the dormitories, new guards racing towards them. Genji whipped out his shurikens. The first row went down with the neatly placed shuriken, Reinhardt charging in, shield still up, slamming into the rest of them, sending them flying like bowling pins.

The group followed Reinhardt through the mess of bodies, Ana throwing down a canister to keep the guards down. They burst from the hallway into the main part of the base, so close to the exit. Winston and his team came out from the other side, D.Va flying over to them, letting Reinhardt shift Jack onto the arms of her mech. 

A cruel laugh echoed from the catwalks above them, a black mist coalescing into their former friend.

“I'm afraid I haven't had my fill of the good doctor yet.” He called out, “Leave her and I'll let you go.”

“You're sorely mistaken if you think we would abandon her to you.” Winston replied scathingly, readying his tesla cannon.

The group readied themselves as Reaper laughed again, evaporating from the catwalk entirely, the sickening mist swirling together in the middle of their group, shot guns already drawn and spinning in a deadly circle, firing indiscriminately as the agents tried to dive out of the line of fire.

Moira took her opportunity to wrench herself away from Genji, disappearing from sight completely and reappearing several yards away, hands still bound. She dove behind cover, not wanted to be grabbed again by the ninja.

Winston threw down his shield generator, trying to save his teammates from the furious rain of bullets, Reinhardt doing the same with his. Hana, dropped Jack and punched her mekas rocket boosters, plowing herself forward into the masked terrorist just as he was coming out of his spin, pushing him through several stacks of crates before he dematerialized once again.

“Go go go!” She shouted into the coms, sending her teammates sprinting towards the exit, Winston scooping up the commander, before Hana boosted herself to cover the rear.

More guards were pouring into the hangar now, Hana and Ana picking them off as Genji took Angela from her back, ever vigilant for Reaper's reappearance. Lena, at the head of the group, flashed off ahead of the group to start up the jet to make a quick get away.

“Reaper, 7o'clock!” Ana shouted over the din, spinning to shoot the wraith as the backed out of the hangar.

Rein pushed through, shield materializing between his teammates and their enemy. Lucio flicked the switch on his Sonic Amplifier, revving up his speed boost to get them outside the hangar doors. The groups sprinted as best they could, Hana and Reinhardt covering the rear with shields. Gunfire peppered the shields, Ana returning fire as she could. 

The roar of repulsors overpowered the gunfire from the guards and Reaper as Lena deftly maneuvered the jet so that they could load in, hovering just above the ground with the ramp already down.

Reaper screamed in rage, evaporating once again, mists racing forward towards them. Winston and Genji leapt into the jet with Jack and Angela, setting them onto the floor, followed by Lucio and Ana.

Reaper's mists flowed right through Reinhardt's shield, shocking the old warrior for a moment as he coalesced on the ramp to the jet, raising his shotguns to fire once again, rage blinding him. All he wanted was to see Jack Morrison dead.

“NO!” Screamed Ana, firing her sleep dart into her former friend's thigh, dropping him to the floor.

“We have no way to restrain him!” Lena cried out, “ Throw him off and let's get out of here!”

Reinhardt pulled his hammer off his back, swinging it more like a golf club, sending Reaper flying out of the door and deeply gouging the floor of the craft. Lena punched the throttle of the jets, sending the rest of the tumbling back as they streaked away from the Talon base to safety.

Recovering from the jolt, Winston and Ana raced to their commander and medic, Lucio immediately switching to his healing boost to help out as best he could.

“Do we have any idea what they did to her?” Winston asked, pulling the ties to her gown to check her for physical injuries.

Ana pulled the IV bag from her jacket, laying it on the table, “Moira wouldn't say.”

Winston pulled back the gown and gasped at the state of the lovely medic. Her body was smattered with deep purple bruising and gashes, a set of teeth marks on her breast and dried blood down her thighs, the signs of the horrific things that had happened to her.

“Ya 'iilhi!” Ana gasped, “I knew Gabriel wanted Angela for himself but I never thought he'd fallen this far.”

Winston covered her back up, tears falling silently down his fur. The group was silent, stunned by the extent of the damage done to Angela.

Next to them, Jack began to stir, Lucio's healing field purging the toxin's from his body.

“We need to figure out what is in this IV.” Winston said, picking up the bag of purple liquid, “At this point I have no idea the extent of the damage done.”  
+  
Jack groaned, hand going to shield his eyes. Genji knelt down, helping the commander to sit up. 

“What happened?” He rasped, eyes still closed.

“We got Angela, but you got hit with Moira's poisons. We pulled out of the base and are headed back to Gibraltar.” Winston explained.

Jack snapped to attention at the mention of Ange, scrambling to her side.

“What's her status?” He asked, brushing the stray locks of hair from her face.

Winston's expression fell, dreading what he'd have to tell his long time friend and commander, “ I don't know yet what was in the IV and what that may have done to her, but I do know that she was raped. Most likely by Reaper.” He ended sadly.

Jack's fist tightened on the gown covering Angela's battered, naked body, anger filling him. 

“How long till Gibraltar.” He ground out.

Lena called back from the cockpit, “Should be 45 minutes. I'm pushing her as fast as I can.”

Jack sat back against the side of the jet, pulling Angela into his lap, gently cradling her limp form. Genji pulled a blanket out of the storage compartment, unfolding it and laying it over Angela and Jack. Tears pricked in Jack's eyes as he used the corner of the blanket to gently try to rub some of the grime from her cheeks, the skin deathly pale under the dirt.

“You can't die on me, mein schatz, du kannst mich nicht verlassen.” (My darling, you can't leave me.)


	16. Chapter 16

The silence of the sterile, white room what only broken by the steady beeping of the medical machinery and the slow breathing of Jack and Bren, fast asleep in the chair next to the bed. The door quietly whooshed open, Winston coming to check on Angela as quietly as possible. He shook his head at the man and boy.

Jack hadn't left Angela's room for more than a few minutes at a time, Emily taking care of Bren most of the time. It had been a week and a half since they had pulled her from Talon's clutches with no change in her condition.

Winston had analyzed the contents of the IV, finding it mostly filled with Scopolamine and Chloprozamine to make her compliant and willing to do whatever the administrator asked of them. It was a nefarious combination of drugs. Winston knew that they had used something similar in the transformation of Amelie into Widowmaker, but he didn't know how long or how much of the medication was needed to achieve Talon's goals.

What worried him the most though is that Angela hadn't woken up. The drug therapy had been interrupted and there was no way to know how that would effect her, or when she would wake from her coma.

Winston took note of her vitals, changing her IV bags. He glanced over at Bren, worrying about the boy. He hadn't been handling the situation well. He's been having panic attacks several times a day and hadn't been sleeping much. He'd not been talking to anyone but Bastion since they'd found his mother, seemingly regressing into himself. He was scared the boy would completely shut himself in if things didn't change. 

Winston left the room, throwing one last glance at his friends, who were really more like family, his heart breaking for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jack was running through the halls for the third time that day. Emily had called him again about Bren having a panic attack. With as strong as his son was becoming as he grew, it was hard for her to restrain him and keep him from hurting himself.

Winston had spoken to him about Bren's fragile state. Jack knew he needed to be there for Bren, but he couldn't bear the thought of Angela waking up, brain altered and confused, without him there. He felt like he was being torn in half and he didn't' know what to do.

The door opened and Jack was stunned with the sight of Emily and Bastion crouching around his son. Bren was huddled into the fetal position, rocking back and forth with a blank stare on his face. On the floor was a picture that he had found in Lena's things.

It was a picture of Angela, Bren and himself taken by Lena right after he had found them again. Bren was just 10 months old.

Jack strode forward, scooping his son up off the floor, cradling him close and sprinting towards the med bay. Tears poured from his eyes, angry at himself for his inability to protect his family, for not being there for Bren, for all the mistakes he'd made.

Jack burst through the med doors, laying Bren on one of the exam tables. He still had a far away look in his eyes and wasn't responding to anything. Jack rushed to the medicine cabinet, punching in the code to retrieve some of Bren's meds and a cup of water, running back to his side.

“Alright mein junge, I need you to take your meds.” Jack soothed, sitting Bren up. (My boy)

Jack splashed a bit of the water onto the boy's face, causing Bren to blink and come back a bit. 

“Daddy?” Bren said shakily, eyes finally focusing on his father's face.

“I need you to take your pills buddy.” His dad said, pulling his son in close. 

Bren's hands were trembling as he swallowed his meds, burying his face into his father's chest, quietly crying.

Jack ran a soothing hand over his son's bright blond hair, his heart breaking into tiny pieces as he knew he needed to stay with his son and be the support he needed, leaving his angel fight back from the darkness by herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Their little family had settled into a depressing routine over the preceding 3 and a half weeks. Winston checked on Angela's vitals for any sign of change, but she slept away in her Biotic orb that he had specially ordered out of Geneva.

Every afternoon, Jack brought Bren and Bastion in, spending a couple of hours, letting Bren read whatever book he was on at the time. Bren was always happy to come and visit, but there was a lining of sadness to everything.

Bren was spending every night in his father's bed, unable to sleep alone without being plagued with nightmares.

And so the days went, Jack muddling his way through as best as he could. They'd had a mission to help out Zarya with some Omnic's outside of Vladivostok. Because of the proximity, Hana had received a message to be on stand by for a return to Korea, so she'd been on edge as well.

Jack had not gone to Russia. He hadn't been on his game. He'd stayed back with Bastion, and Torbjorn to watch Gibraltar. He'd fallen into a depression that he wasn't sure he'd be able to come out of.

Winston had hired Dr. Bossard to fill Angela's MD role in the base. He'd prescribed antidepressants for Jack, having needed time to read up on Jack's file. He'd given large doses so that it wouldn't be metabolized too quickly.

Jack hadn't seen a change. Without Angela, he felt lost.


	17. Chapter 17

Floating.

Just floating.

That's all.

Nothing else pierced the fog.

Like a sensory deprivation tank.

Nothing but the flits in her brain and the sensation of floating in nothing.

Flashes of half memories and thoughts came and went without a trace, nothing sticking for long.

Frustration came to the forefront. Frustration at not being able to hold onto a thought.

'What's going on?' Swam through her consciousness, increasing the feeling of being unable to control her own brain.

She fought through the fog, trying desperately to gain enough control of herself enough to open her eyes, and panicking when she couldn't.

Thoughts raced by as she willed her eyes to work while trying to remember why she was in this place and what had happened to her. The lack of details fueled her panic and resolve to open her eyes.

The fog dissipated some, allowing her to crack her eyes open to the soft glow around her.

Task one complete, now to move her head and figure out where she was, she thought with determination.

She slowly turned he head, finding her neck muscles weak and uncooperative.

She tried to bring up the last thing she remembered, finding flashes of colors and words hidden in the fog. She pushed against the fog and found herself unable to remember anything that felt “recent”. She finally found a memory not shrouded and broken.

She saw a man laying in a bed next to her. He had white hair but didn't seem older than mid 40's. He was smiling at her, brushing hair from her cheek. It was obvious he loved her.

Jack.

That was his name. Jack. 

More details started filter through the haze.

“You know you're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Angel.” He whispered to her, pulling her close.

The memory solidified more in her mind, She saw the room around them had no windows, but brightly colored fabrics were draped around the walls to brighten it up.

She remembered the bed moving by her feet, looking down to find a toddler struggling with his little arms to climb up onto the bed.

“You come to love on Mommy too buddy?” Jack said, sitting up to pull the boy up between them.

The beautiful boy rolled towards her, clasping her cheeks in his tiny hands, “My Mommy is the best Mommy!”

Jack smiled, “Yeah, buddy. She is the best Mommy.”

The boy and Jack dissolved into mist, laughing contentedly.

She dug into her brain, trying to remember who the boy was. He was obviously her son, and he looked just like Jack, but she couldn't remember his name or anything else about him.

Another memory swam into the forefront of her mind.

She was walking down a dirt lane, beautiful green jungle and flowering vines. She looked down to see the boy from before, now appearing to be about 5 or 6, holding her hand as they walked. She was carrying a large canvas bag on her shoulder, filled to the brim with fresh fruits and vegetables. They seemed to be walking away from civilization and further into the jungle for some reason.

Was this the same place from before? She couldn't remember.

Suddenly she stopped, hearing a noise from behind her. Repulsors.

She dropped the bag, scooped up the boy and ran, the memory beginning to go fuzzy around the edges.

The roar got louder as she ran, the sound of bullets crashing through the underbrush around her, things going dark now.

The memory disappeared completely with a loud bang, muffled by the fog, and the boy's screams of terror.

Refocusing her eyes, she tried to look around the room again. She seemed to be floating in a glowing bubble, a mask sealed around her face, pumping oxygen to her. She didn't recognize the room she was in, white walls and beeping machinery.

Suddenly the door burst open, a large gorilla coming inside with a stunned look on his face. 

“You're awake!” He said, rushing over to her bubble, pressing buttons furiously.

She dug in her brain, pulling up an older memory, “Win... ston?” She whispered.

“Yes Angela.” He said, “Let me deactivate the biotic bubble and get you out.”

The glow around her fade and the field that held her inside dissipated, leaving her laying on a medical bed feeling weak as a kitten.

“Do you want me to call Jack?” He asked, obviously happy to see her awake.

“Where am I?” She whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse.

Winston looked at her confused, “You're in your lab here at Gibraltar.”

She looked around again for anything familiar.

“I don't remember.” 

Winston looked sadly at her, “You were given some powerful drugs by Talon. We expected some sort of side effects from it. I'm going to call Jack down here and then we'll figure out what we need to do to help you.” He explained kindly, turning to speak into the coms.

“Jack are you there?” 

“I need you down in medical. Don't bring Bren. She's awoken but there appear to be some side effects.”

So the boy's name was Bren. She remembered having always liked that name.

“I'll explain it when you get here.”

Winston turned back to her, “Alright Angela, can you tell me the last thing you remember?”

Angela screwed up her face, fighting against the fog in her mind, feeling rather exhausted already, “I think, I was walking through the jungle with the boy, Bren. It was beautiful, but we were attacked, I can't remember what all happened.”

“Well that sounds like when you and he were attacked in Peru. That was about 3 years ago.” Winston puzzled, “Did you have trouble remembering Bren?”

Angela sighed, letting her eyes slide shut, “Yes. I could see memories of his face, but not his name. I could remember your name and Jack's name.”

“You've known us for a long time. It seems like you may have lost your more recent memories.” He explained, “Bren is 7 now and looks like he's about 9. You've been living here for several months back at Watchpoint Gibra...”

The door whooshed open, Jack flying into the room to her side.

“Angela! Is she okay?” He demanded, gently lifting her and to hold it lovingly.

Winston explained what was going on, letting Angela's eyes close again, her body lacking energy and her muscles feeling as if they hadn't been used in years. She tried to remember more while they spoke around her.

She could see a slight woman, peppy, giving her a hug. Lena, that was her name. Lena was cooing over her swollen belly, obviously pregnant.

A stroke on her cheek brought her back to the present, eyes slowly opening again. Jack was looking at her, worry obvious in the lines of his face. He seemed younger than in her memories, but his hair was still white.

“I'm sorry. I didn't hear you.” She told him in a whisper.

“I was asking if you're ok, meine leibe.” Jack said quietly, stroking her face.

Angela closed her eyes again, struggling to summon the energy to explain how she felt, “Ich... ich fühle mich verloren.” ( I... I feel lost.)

Winston saw the emotion that Angela was struggling to hold in and stepped out, leaving the pair together.

“It's going to be ok, meine leibe. I'm going to keep you safe.” Jack whispered, scooching into the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms.

Angela pressed herself into him, starting to sob quietly. Her body seemed so tiny and frail to Jack, her shoulders shaking with each sob. He smoothed his hand down her hair, trying to comfort her through the emotions.

Slowly the sobs ebbed, Angela slipping into unconsciousness again as she ran out of energy.

“Hey Athena, can you call Winston and Lena in?” Jack called out.

“Of course, Jack.” The AI responded.

Jack thanked the computer, kissing his love's forehead while he waited for his friends to arrive. Of course, Lena arrived first, bursting into the room.

“Is she ok?” Lena demanded.

“Physically she's fine according to Winston, but she's suffered some memory loss.” Jack explained quietly, letting Angela rest.

Winston came though the door, eyes immediately going to the machines monitoring her vitals, “Is everything alright?”

Jack nodded, “She's just dealing with a lot and doesn't seem to have much energy. How long does she have to stay in med bay?”

Winston looked over the readouts, “I'd like to keep her here for a day at least to make sure she's improving and to get a better baseline on the damage done, but as long as you keep her off her feet and rest a lot, I don't see why she can't go back to your rooms.”

Jack nodded, “How should we handle this with Bren? She seemed to remember very little of him.”

Winston sighed, leaning against the counter while Lena took a seat to listen, “Well I think that we need to talk to him first. He needs to be prepared for the fact that his mother may not be the same.” He admitted, “I'm not sure how he'll take it, but it's going to be harder if we don't prepare him first.”

Jack and Lena nodded their agreement.

“How much has she lost?” Lena asked quietly, staring at the floor with her arms on her knees.

“I only got to talk to her for a few moments. She seems to remember us alright but she had trouble remembering Bren and anything much from the last 5 to 8 years. She has a few incomplete memories but not much else.”

Jack slowly began to disentangle himself from his angel, carefully laying her head back on the pillow and rising from the bed, “I guess there's no better time than now.” He said, mouth going into a grim line.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Lena asked, her voice tinged with sadness.

Jack shook his head, quietly leaving to room. His thoughts raced as he walked down the halls, each one chasing the last in an endless circle of worry, pain and self doubt. How was he supposed to tell his son that his mother didn't remember him? How was he supposed to tell a 6 year old that the person who he had relied on his whole life may not be the same anymore?

Jack stopped in front of Lena and Emily's rooms, unsure of himself. It was a strange feeling for the super soldier. He was usually so confident. So sure of himself. He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the self doubt that shadowed him, and knocked on the door before him.

Bastion answered the door after a few moments, standing aside for Jack to walk in. He didn't see Bren in the living room and walked into the next room, Bastion following behind. He found Emily and his son lying on the bed, her body curled around his protectively as his son cried into her chest. She looked up at Jack, her sadness for the boy she had become so close to obvious.

“Hey mein junge.” He called out softly.

The little boy raised his head to look at his father, hiccups of tears jolting his body.

“Can I talk to you for a bit, bud?” He said, holding his arms out for his son.

Bren nodded, sliding down off the bed and walking to his dad, eyes downcast.

Jack picked him up effortlessly, thanking Emily for looking after him. 

“Alright, let's go back to our room, huh?” Jack said, kissing his son's cheek to sooth him, “Come on Bastion.”

Jack tried to calm his son while they walked the couple doors down to their own rooms, Bastion thumping along behind. Jack stepped inside, sitting in one of the oversized chairs in their living room and shifting his son into his lap.

He took a deep breath, “Bren... I want you to know mommy woke up.”

Bren's eyes went wide, obviously not quite believing what his father had said, “She woke up?”

“She did.” Jack nodded, “ But the things that happened to her did some damage.

Bren's face fell, “What do you mean?”

“She has lost some of her memories, mein junge. She doesn't remember much from just before you were born.”

Bren started to cry again, clinging to his father, “She doesn't remember me?”

Jack hugged him close, “She remembers a few little things. We won't know how much for a bit. But Winston says that after she's done with a 24 hour observation, she can come back to our rooms.”

Bren just cried, and Jack's heart broke for his son. Jack held him close, knowing that his son needed him. Bren's sobs gradually lessened, Jack shifting him to see his face.

“Would you like to go and see her?” He asked quietly.

Bren looked up at him, nodding slightly.

“Alright. When I left she was asleep again. This has been very taxing on her body and she still needs a lot of rest but I think she'd like to see you.”

He stayed silent as his father carried him through the halls. He felt so sad. He didn't know what to expect. He adored his mother. She was always so caring and strong. She was always there for him. What was she going to say? How much of him did she remember? He felt the worry that plagued him trying to overwhelm him. In the past he had run to her when he felt this way. But now she was the one that needed help. 

Bren sat up in his father's arms, “I'm going to be strong for mommy like she was always was for us.” He declared.

Jack smiled at his son, “I think that's a good thing. It must be scary for her to not remember things. We should be strong for her.”


End file.
